“Warning: You Are at 120 BPM!”
That’s the notification I received from my smartwatch during one of my most recent conferences.
I’ve had the chance to attend a couple of Agile and Lean conferences — and I was a speaker twice.
In this case, I was attending the conference for the first time — and this time, as a speaker. I was going to talk about the links between Scrum and Lean.
You’re probably thinking: “he got this alert right before his talk.”
Well, not at all.
My heart rate was perfectly normal before, during, and just after my presentation.
The alert came on the very first day, as I arrived.
That moment when you have to introduce yourself, chat, “networking” – as we say – and do so with complete strangers.
All introverts like me will understand my stress: it’s an exercise that feels completely unnatural to me.
On the other hand, speaking in front of dozens of strangers? No problem at all.
In fact, it’s my favorite strategy: attending conferences I like, but as a speaker.
Why?
- Because it means people come to me afterwards.
- I don’t have to take that first, anxiety-inducing step.
It’s still challenging, but I keep pushing myself and stepping out of my comfort zone to make it easier.
Know What It Means to Be an Introvert
I strongly recommend reading “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain.
It helped me a lot:
- I know what it means to be an introvert
- I need time alone to recharge at the end of the day
- I know when I need to push myself
And that is totally OK.
We are not all extroverts.
And that is perfectly fine.
Bill Gates and Gandhi were introverts too.
And both led extraordinary careers and lives.
Big shoutout to all the introverts: anything is possible!
