It's OK to be Quiet 🤫

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Hi reader,

When I was younger, I used to feel shame around my need to be alone.

Shame may not be the right word. More like oddness.

I love people. I’ve always loved people.

But crowds wear me out. The more people, the more energy it takes.

The thing is that there was no language for that. Just people being shy (which I wasn’t) or being anti-social (which I definitely wasn’t).

Neither were complementary.

So I had good days, where I felt talkative, and bad days, when I was more introspective.

And because the language didn’t exist and I couldn’t control my schedule, I would just have to grin and bear it.

Do you ever see the direct correlation between your career and what you couldn’t control before you began your career?

Like many of you, I am a solopreneur, working from my home office, being social on my own terms.

How we show up can often be traced to what we wished we could have done early in life ⏳

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At my first TED conference a dozen years ago, I caught Susan Cain talking about the power of being an introvert.

Have you ever heard something that you didn’t realize was missing, but then it changed your entire filter on life?

It was one of those moments for me.

The language helped. Her pride helped, too.

However, the biggest thing I got was permission.

I didn’t have to be social all the time. It wasn’t a mandate. It wasn’t a requirement.

It wasn’t me.

And accepting the ebbs and flows of my social energy meant I could design my life to fit the stream.

I could say “Yes”.

More importantly, I could say “No”.

And know that when I did speak up, I would say it with my whole chest 📣

Accomplish More. Juggle Less.

Your business is growing, and so are your responsibilities. So what do you do?

You do more.

You see a chance to expand your reach and increase your impact.

You do more.

You take on more hours, juggle more deadlines, and wear more hats. You miss a ball game here and there. Come home late a few more nights. You spend a holiday or two in your inbox. And you tell yourself,

This season just requires more.

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What if you could enjoy the holidays this year knowing that someone else is handling the “more”?

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Whatever social pressure I felt a dozen years ago is quaint compared to today.

Notifications and buzzes are now commonplace 📳

Even legacy news outlets are screaming for our attention 🗣️

And social engaging without having notated information on every single post related to an issue can cause shame 😔

You see it when all of us hustle into a new season.

During a political election, everyone seems to be a polling expert.

A pandemic turns everyone into a scientist.

A war makes scientists into strategists.

And we are all fighting to be a subject-matter expert instead of getting quiet enough to see actual solutions 🗺️

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One of my favorite lines from The Daily Stoic is that you don’t have to know everything about everything. It’s OK to say “I don’t know” or “It’s not on my radar”. You don’t need to catch every meme or easter egg.

Real life doesn’t have a pop quiz.

The world seems particularly noisy to me now. Maybe it does to you, too.

You can check the news once or twice a day.

Put your phone on silent instead of loud beep.

And just focus on talking with a few people, hearing from a few places, and diving into what really matters today.

I know I am this week.

I’m already looking forward to the rest 🤐

How do you lead as an introvert? About 1 out of 3 people is an introvert (including me!). While we appreciate our time alone, introverts can also be amazing leaders, charismatic speakers, and ambitious entrepreneurs. We just need to manage our energy differently than extroverts.

On an encore BringYourWorth.tv, I answered all your questions about leading as an introvert, wisely managing your alone time, and creating space for your self care and your business👇🏾

It’s OK to be quiet 🤫

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🙋🏾 I’m Damon! (http://www.damonbrown.net) I help side hustlers, solopreneurs & others like yourself bloom. As a bestselling author, 2x startup founder & 4x TEDTalker, I co-founded the popular connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year while being a stay at home dad with my infant son.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏿 Today, my boutique coaching business Bring Your Worth supports hundreds through one-on-one virtual and in-person support, as well as behind-the-scenes services for TED, HEROIC, and other impactful organizations. You can catch this free weekly newsletter as well as the 18,000-subscriber strong television show BringYourWorth.tv.

🚀 Think coaching could help you get to the next level? Reach out and let’s chat.

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