I have to be honest. I never knew that I was an introvert. I was always puzzled by the times in my life when I was afraid of people or just wanted to go somewhere quiet. I love reading and my ‘alone time’ reading has always given me that … space. On the other hand, I was in the drama club and on the debate team in high school. I even ran, very unsuccessfully, for student government. So, it was not until I was giving Kathy Brown a ride back to the airport from our offices (PSC is doing some work for us), that I learned about ‘outgoing introverts’. From what I understand, being an extrovert or an introvert is all about whether you gain or lose energy by interacting with others. So, while those of us who are outgoing introverts enjoy interacting with others, it can be draining. Someone who is an extrovert would be gaining energy through the interaction, but not me. I enjoy it, but it does wear me out.
Because we had lunch with James Weru, Clive Lightfoot and Roman Weber, I’ll have a post about their case story that they shared during the Opening General Session. It hits so close to what our company does, working toward the same purposes that I simply had to meet them and learn more.
So, having just spent a few hours being very social at lunch and between sessions, I just needed a quiet break. Just as I need to recharge my laptop and my phone right now, I need to recharge my personal energy banks. It’s easy to forget when attending conferences, that in order to ensure you get the most out of it – knowledge, contacts, tools and relaxation – you have to take care of yourself.
It’s been an incredible conference so far. Having stopped to write this, I feel ready to go back to shaking hands and telling stories.
Lost in Code 