Nice weather, huh?
Nice weather today, huh? Or the more common: What a weather, today! (usually when he weather is crappy)
When I first moved to the Netherlands, it really surprised me how much people talked about the weather here. It was so foreign to me and I found it really confusing.
Part of that was because I grew up in the tropics, so the weather was rarely a topic of discussion . Nice weather today, huh? Uh, yeah, it’s always 30 degrees Celsius…? Or what a weather, today! Uhm, yep, same as always…
Something really huge had to be going on weather-wise for it to be a topic of discussion where I grew up; like 40+ degrees Celsius or monsoon type rains, yes, then the weather was all we talked about too!
Me (when I still worked in an office) all dressed up in my nicest rain suit and getting ready for an hour bike ride to the office.
Another part of my confusion is probably because I’m an introvert and I don’t care much for small talk.
The nice weather conversation in the Netherlands was as much small talk as they come and I was seriously baffled by this when I first moved. Why do people find it so interesting to talk about the weather??
Well, after a few years of experiencing the fickleness of the Dutch weather and how it can seem like 4 seasons meet you on the same day, I’m fully on board with this being a topic of the day. I check the weather forecast first thing in the morning on most days and now I’ve even dedicated this week’s email to it…
Go figure!
You may have heard that being introverted limits your success. Maybe you feel like you're overthinking too much, that you're really indecisive, or that you're unable to take action on your goals. You may feel like you need to be more talkative, more energetic, more easy-going, or just plain louder to be noticed and to be successful.
I want to share with you 10 powerful qualities that introverts have and that are often unseen. These qualities come so natural to us that we sometimes overlook them and we don't see the value that it brings to the world around us.
Just like how most introvert’s “dislike” of too much small talk (and how most extroverts seem to relish in it), there are plenty of things that we feel completely baffled by - until we understand where they come from.
Take the careful, reflective way of speaking of some introverts that can be perceived as slow, indecisive, and even incapable or ineffective.
Or on the other hand the adamant, quick-to-draw conclusion way of speaking of some extroverts that can be perceived as rude, not very thorough, and even bully-ish.
For some of my strongly introverted clients, talking with strongly extroverted people every day - either for work or in their private life - can cause a lot of tension. They find themselves entering a fight-or-flight mode because they feel like they’re always being challenged, constantly interrupted and not taken seriously at all. It breaks down their self-esteem and fuels the inner critic.
Understanding that there are real differences between the natural communication styles of introverts and extroverts is giving them back some peace of mind.
Nothing is wrong with you. And extroverts don't hate you either. You just have a different communication style.
