As an introvert masquerading as an extrovert I have a strong need to just be by myself sometimes. It might be in the middle of a big conference (or maybe especially in the middle of a big conference), it might be a Friday or Saturday and I just don’t want to follow the crowd to the newest nightspot or it might be a whole weekend just being me.
I just want to be by myself a little bit. Take some time off. Maybe a glass of wine, a good book or a brain numbing TV show. Maybe with a good friend. Maybe not. Maybe there’s a big party on and I might just be sitting on the balcony all by myself. Maybe I’m checking out a restaurant with a friend while everyone else are off to a night club. Maybe I’m just sleeping. I’m for sure not doing anything particularly cool or exciting. That’s the last thing I need when I need to retreat to my own space. You know what I’m saying.
Its not just that these breaks from the public me helps me recoup energy, focus on what I think is important and wind down, I also noticed that these breaks from the spotlight had another and rather surprising effect on how people perceive me…
Total Presence 