Hey there Reader!

I hope you are well and enjoying the middle of the year. School’s back for my son Kaden, which means I officially have a high schooler (9th grade) and summer vacation is over. In June my husband, Kaden and I took a 3-week trip to visit my family in Australia we also did a small side trip to Bali, Indonesia for a few days. It was some much-needed RNR for all of us. We met with the family, experienced a new culture, met beautiful people, and gained a new perspective on hardship and happiness (more of this in my next newsletter).

So let’s get to the subject line of this email. You must be thinking Mary has lost the plot saying living in fear isn’t always a bad thing. Well, let me give you some context. I have been leaning into the introverted part of my personality a little more. Allowing myself to observe, listen and reflect on the notion of what being an introverted entrepreneur in an extroverted-led world means. One common factor is the need to overcome your fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown, and fear of the uncomfortable.

I remember around the time I was graduating from university in Sydney, my friends and I were talking about our futures, what directions we saw our lives moving, and how we felt about going into the ‘real world’. Some of us, myself included were hopeful but still had a lot of fear about what lay ahead. It was in this conversation one of my friends looked at all of us and said “You just need to snap out of it. Being scared isn’t going to get you anywhere. Be fearless!”

As an introvert hearing the “Be Fearless” talk sometimes hinders more than it helps (even though, those who share it with you have great intentions). This type of motivational speech can make us as introverts feel like we’re doing something wrong, and that we should be like others who thrive in the extroverted world because they are charging forward without fear.

An introvert needs the space for introspection, to sit and reflect, and to work through their challenges using their quiet strength. They excel in reflection and are able to hold quiet space for things that are uncomfortable, like fear. Being able to do so helps them circle back to their why and their purpose. Which I believe is an important part of being an entrepreneur, having the resilience to look back and remember your why so that you can let your passion become stronger than your fear. If you push yourself to be fearless and continue grinding away without dealing with your fear, you will find that it will creep back in again. You can, however, reframe your mindset by taking your fear and turning it into love and compassion.

Giving grace to yourself and allowing yourself to sit with your fear rather than push it aside will help you to become even stronger as an entrepreneur. When we do things with love and not fear, we are taking the negativity out of ourselves, we are allowing yourselves to be true to who we are and what we stand for without feeling inauthentic. Fear shouldn’t stop you from achieving your goals, but being fearless shouldn’t pressure you to be someone you are not.

If you are an introverted entrepreneur and want to join a community of like-minded people, or even if you are extroverted and want to understand the introverted mindset, we have a community that we are building for introverts. I’d love to have you join us so that you can continue to stay true to who you are around people who truly understand while building your business.

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Feel free to join our list to learn more.

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Have a wonderful week!

Mary

Your Introverted Brand Strategist

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