With the days getting shorter and the slow return to the office, it's a good time to check your energy levels. Do you have balance in what gives you energy and what costs you energy? As an introvert, this is very important.
As an introvert, you recharge by having a moment to yourself every now and then. This can be done in many ways: by reading, taking a walk or simply relaxing. They are crucial moments that help you to have enough energy during the week to reach your full potential.
However, introverts are also strongly inclined to give away a lot of their own space. They sometimes find it difficult to say no, so that your agenda can suddenly be full of things that mainly cost you energy. In the long run, you can run out of energy, making it unsustainable for an introvert.
In addition, your internal critic becomes a lot stronger at times when you have too little energy. It makes you worry and be a lot stricter with yourself. It also makes it more difficult to see that critic for what it actually is: a protection mechanism that protects you from pain of rejection, for example.
In my coaching trajectories I regularly pay attention to the energy balance of the introvert. What things give you energy and how often do you do them? And which things cost you energy and how much time do you spend on them? By summarizing this, you gain insight into your energy balance. Ideally, you will find a balance that works for you as an introvert.
Circle of influence
We also look at what your influence is on certain matters. A useful model that can help you with this is the Circle of Influence and Concern. This model by Stephen Covey comes from the book The 7 Habits of Effective Leadership. In short, the model is about the choice between paying attention to things you feel involved in, but you can't do anything about, or paying attention to things you can influence.
The largest circle within the model is the Circle of Concern: all the things you worry about in your life. In that circle you will find a smaller circle, the so-called Circle of Influence. In it you will find all the things that you can do something about as an individual.
The more you focus your attention on things you feel involved in but have no control over, the smaller your Circle of Influence becomes. As a result, your energy leaks, you show more and more reactive behavior and you feel like a victim. Your Circle of Concern is growing and your own Circle of Influence is getting smaller and smaller. You may even become convinced that you don't even have a Circle of Influence.
The more you focus on things you can influence, the bigger your own Circle of Influence becomes. As a result, you get energy, you show proactive behavior and you increasingly look for opportunities. So your Circle of Influence grows and pushes your Circle of Concern further and further away.
By balancing your energy and focusing primarily on your Circle of Influence, you ensure that your energy level remains at the right level as an introvert. This will help you to achieve your full potential, both professionally and privately. As a coach, I am happy to help you with that.
Would you like to know more? Please feel free to contact me.
