After years of white-knuckling her way through life as an introvert trying to exist in an extrovert’s world, Jessica Pan decided to face her fears head-on. What transpired was an introverts journey of self-discovery as she worked with social interaction professionals to say ‘yes’ to life for a year. Her resulting book, Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come, focuses on the differences and misconceptions surrounding introverts and extroverts and humorously highlights the importance of living comfortably in your own skin. 

Here today to explore the experience of living outside of your comfort zone and learning who you are, Jessica is an advocate for feeling your best in whatever situation you like to thrive in. Join in as Jessica explores her ‘nobody waves but everybody ways back’ theory, learn tips for becoming more sociable and dive into a state of mind where everything is possible and more exciting.

You can thrive through your anxiety and do things you never thought possible with a little confidence and habits to help you feel less lonely while creating meaningful connections. Do you identify as an introvert or an extrovert? Share your take on this topic in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• Exercises to help you overcome social anxiety and become okay with rejection
• Explore the difference between being shy, being an introvert and being an extrovert
• Why it is more difficult to make friends as an adult and ways you can make new friends
• Analyzing the differences between vulnerable conversations with men and women
• Lessons to help you remain yourself with fewer amounts of social anxiety

Quotes

“If you walk into a room or a train carriage, everybody is kind of looking very stony-faced. You might feel like everybody is sort of hostel or angry or cold, but if you just smile at one person, 99% of the time, they are going to smile back at you.” (13:42)

“You can’t really change yourself from an introvert to an extrovert. But I was just sort of going out there to see what I can learn from one year of doing these things that I normally run away from.” (18:55)

“Reaching out and saying hello and inviting people into our homes, it really can be lifechanging.” (24:27)

“I’m an introvert, I like being alone. But I like being alone on my own terms.” (33:12)

“Now I can talk to strangers, I am just better at connecting with people. I am still an introvert, but now I feel more confident about doing things that scare me.” (35:53)

Links

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan

Jessica Pan Website

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Find the full show notes for this episode here

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