Monday Musings: The Power in Being an Introvert

Hello Beautiful Ones!

What do you think of when you hear the word introvert? I'm going to pretend to read your mind (that would be pretty impressive), and assume that you consider being an introvert a negative thing. I identify as an introvert, and I'm here to tell you why that is not necessarily a bad thing.

I'm going to start this post by saying that I'm 23, and I'm certainly not really an expert on anything at this point. But with that being said, I've always been an introvert. It's who I am, and I can remember so many instances in my 23 years of life when I tried to change that or wished I wasn't. The thing is that at the end of the day, you are who you are. Sure we can change and grow. That's normal and that's great. But there is also something to be said about how powerful it can be to embrace who you truly are.

I didn't really start figuring that out until I went away to college. If you asked one of my high school classmates about me I'm guessing they would say "she was nice, but really quiet." In my mind college was going to be awesome because I was going to a new place to meet new people with the opportunity to completely reinvent myself. The thing was though that I could change my scenery but at the end of the day I was still the same person.

Try as I might to be outgoing, it's just not who I am. But with that being said, it doesn't mean that I'm not friendly or don't enjoy a great conversion because I totally do. I think that when a lot of us think about introverts we think about a kid in their basement glued to their computer because they don't like human interaction. Sure, that would be a severe form of introvertism (is that even a word?), but it's not the only form that an introvert can take.

For me, being an introvert means that I might not be the one who initiates a conversation. It doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you it just means I might not feel comfortable walking up to you to start a chat. Also on that note I sometimes struggle speaking up in large group conversations (especially if I don't know the group very well), but that doesn't mean I don't have something to say I just prefer to say it in a smaller group or one-on-one. And finally being an introvert does NOT mean I don't like going out, it just means that I also value my alone time. On a Friday night I like to unwind by myself with a glass of wine and my Netflix, and by Saturday I'm ready to go out and do something fun with my friends.

Being an introvert doesn't mean you're broken, it just means you think and act differently from your outgoing counterparts. My main point here is that it doesn't really matter if you identify as an introvert or not, it just matters that you figure out what works best for you. I know that I like listening more than I like talking some days. One of my best friends just needs someone to listen to him, we're a perfect match. Yet another good friend of mine is also an introvert, and we can sit in happy silence with each other for hours. My point is that you don't need to change yourself to connect with other people, you just need to know who you are so that you can surround yourself with people who get it.

I have more to say about this, but I think I'm going to leave it at that for today. Maybe I'll come back to this topic some day. All I want for all of you is that you are happy (cheesy but true).

Just remember to be yourself and I promise you will sparkle. x

XO- Brittney

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Monday Musings: Dealing with Failure

Hello Beautiful Ones!

Here we are again.. another Monday and another post for me to spill out the insides of my mind (brace yourselves). Lately I've found myself thinking a lot about failure. As some of you might know I recently graduated from college and have found myself living at home with my parents while looking for a full-time job. During the course of my job hunting I've faced a lot of "we're going to pursue other candidates," or "your qualifications do not match up with our open positions at this time." Everytime I read or hear one of those phrases from potential employers I can't help but feel like I have failed.

Failure feels like such a harsh and scary word. When I think of failure I think of the end. Like failure is the final stop in the road to get where you're going. It's so easy to think, "well now that I've failed I'll have to quit or try something new." Failure and rejection are extremely difficult to face.

I know from first hand experience how painful facing failure can be. I'm not just talking about my recent adventures into the jungle that is job hunting. This past year while I was still a senior in college I made the decision to apply to grad school. I applied in December to four different schools and by May I was the proud owner of four different rejection letters. I was crushed, not only did I have my heart set on going to grad school but I was left with absolutely no idea what was next for me. I can vividly remember crying my eyes out in the shower. I've wavered on whether or not I should re-apply.

But the problem is that if we quit we allow failure to dictate our lives. If we give up we don't get to continue our stories, we don't get to see if there is a happy ending in the subsequent pages. As we have all heard a thousand times you often don't get to enjoy success without experiencing failure first.

I've decided that I'm not giving up and I'm not going to allow failure to control the choices I make in my life; I'm going  to use my failures as learning tools that will help me get exactly where I want to go. I'll leave you with a famous quote on failure by Winston Churchill that has kept me going these last few months "success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Please don't give up beautiful ones.

XO- Brittney

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