Understanding Introversion in the Modern World - extract from The Introvert Teacher

The world today is an extrovert’s paradise, with plenty to do and get caught up in. Without getting too far into history, much of this has to do with Western society’s obsession with big dreams and larger-than-life personalities.

As the world becomes more westernised, these values inevitably become part of popular culture. Today, we are so inundated by them that our behaviour and mindsets have started to align with them.

Leaders in today’s world are often appointed based on how well they speak, how quickly they make decisions and how well they can build rapport with people. Products gain popularity through widespread advertisements, attractive packaging and catchy slogans.

Even services have to be made to appeal to the mass market through careful targeting, meticulous data analysis

and extensive conceptualisation before they can be introduced for sale.

Is any of this wrong in and of itself?

Certainly not!

It is merely how the modern world works.

For good or evil, it will continue to change, and what we can do is to be updated and adapt to it.

Since that is the case, let us, as introverts, recognise this, accept it and roll with it, not with a feeling of disenchantment or disappointment, but with a spirit of graciousness and a sense of adventure. After all, we have some really good things going for us as introverts.

Playing With Instagram Carousels and Seeing What I Can Learn From Them

Not too long ago, I was introduced to Instagram Carousels.

Though I professed in an earlier post that I was tired of social media and had essentially stopped uploading content for the sake of doing so, I thought that making some Carousels might help me to hone my design skills and teach me something.

I didn’t go into it with the hope of gaining a tonne of followers or garnering avalanches of likes and comments, as I already knew that social media only rewards those who slavishly post and spend an inordinate amount of time on it.

No, I decided to do it for my own benefit.

And I believe that I have already learned a few design tricks that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

The initial template took some time to carve out, but once it was in place, it wasn’t hard to put in content in the same format. This was part of the first carousel I made.

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And this is part of the second one that I made, based on the same template for the first.

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And, of course, I’ve made a few more since then.

Now that I’ve figured out a template for this, I might go on to make templates for other things that I’m thinking of dabbling in - infographics, e-flyers, and so on.

Actually, I’ve produced a couple of e-brochures earlier, to help market my newly-written courses for the school market. They were what partly inspired me to see if I could bring what I learned about designing them into a carousel.

I intend to continue producing e-brochures - this time for corporate courses and public workshops.

Let’s see where it goes!

I Spent Two Months Plus Doing These Things During Singapore's Circuit Breaker

Now that Singapore’s Circuit Breaker has entered Phase 2, with limited openings of certain establishments, I suppose we could say that we are starting to get back to some sense of ‘normal’.

Perhaps this is a time to take stock of what I’ve done over the past 2 months or so.

The main achievement?

I produced 4 sets of curriculum/content.

Namely,

1) Forensic Investigative Skills

The original purpose for this one is for the school market, of course. This will be put to use in July, as long as schools remain open.

That said, I think that it will be both useful and fun for adults as well. The skills, after all, are used in our everyday lives - information gathering, observation, problem solving, and so on.

I’ll have to see who I can talk to to get this started.

2) Health Science

Again, this was made for the school market, but can be useful for those who have aged parents and/or children to take care of.

3) Harnessing Your Quiet Strengths

Now, this one has a little story behind it. It was originally developed for Introverts Network Asia (INA), but things have tapered off for this, so I never finished it, leaving it half done.

I decided to just finish it up. At least I now have a set of curriculum ready to go should I need it, either live or, perhaps, as an online course.

It is, as expected, aimed at introverts and helping them to make use of the strengths that they perhaps regard as insignificant, but are actually highly valuable.

I see this as an accompaniment to The Introvert Teacher, and intend to have them linked together.

4) 4D Your Message

This is my take on communication skills, slightly angled towards newer educators/trainers, but can definitely be used by anyone who wants to get their message out.

This, too, has a story behind it. It was originally conceived for online delivery as part of an initiative by an organisation. But, as with the previous set of content, this, too, fizzled out.

I decided to just have it finished up.

My main thought at the moment is figuring out how to bring these things to more people once Circuit Breaker properly ends.

I've considered online training, but the activities, especially for the first two, are best done live. I could potentially redesign them, but it’s A LOT of work.

Alternatively, I could have them converted to videos and sell an online course. I’m not sure yet.

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I’m also finishing up a project I started 2 years or so ago - my book on gem buying, titled A Gem of a Deal.

The good news is:

A Gem of a Deal is NEARLY finished! Yay!

Here’s a cover I designed for it. It may not be the final version, but I’ll use it for now.

I’ll put more information up on Loupin Jewels.

Yes, I designed it myself. Photoshop and Illustrator. ;)

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Photographing gems!

It’s quite a long story behind this, but I’ve started to photograph gems again. This time, the results look pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

Sapphire Crystal

Garnet Crystal

Prehnite Cabochon

Emerald Piece

And, of course, I’ve been collating some of my old photos.

It’s been a fairly productive couple of months, I’d say.

Here’s to an even more productive 2 months ahead!

I Had My Identi3 Profile Analysed and Got Some Interesting Insights!

If you’ve read my book - The Introvert Teacher - you’ll know that I’m intensely curious about human behaviours and psychology. Actually, come to think of it, if you’ve had a long enough conversation with me, you’ll find that out too.

I’ve done a number of psychometric tests and my results have been fairly constant.

They tell a consistent narrative of what I understand about myself.

So, when I heard about the Identi3 profiling tool, I was curious, though I did wonder if I would learn anything new about myself.

But, for science, I decided to do it. With the help of a certified profiler, of course.

It consisted of an test taken through their website, and a meetup to explain the results.

It turns out that, apart from being an Investigator, someone who enjoys challenging ideas and concepts, I am also an Expositor, someone who is good at expressing myself - in my case, through verbal and written means, and an Artist, someone who enjoys artistic expression and creative freedom.

So, in a nutshell, I live mainly in my head, come up with unusual, out-of-the-box ideas that I easily explain to others in ways that they can understand.

Sounds about right.

In fact, it sounds like what a consultant does.

Perhaps that is the line of work I should be pursuing.

I’ve recently been re-evaluating my plans for becoming a speaker. Though I feel that my message is one that others will benefit from hearing, I wonder if it’s truly as important as I think it is - important enough, that is, to make a career out of talking about it.

I’m not entirely convinced that it is, though I have constantly received feedback that it is an interesting and thought-provoking subject.

And yet, interesting and thought-provoking are not strong enough traits for me to base everything on. Above that, I need to know that it is important to do.

So, this is the clarity that I seek.

With it, I can make a better decision.

In the meantime, as I seek it, I will continue to do work that I know is important.