We live in a culture of more; everyone is always striving for more money, more possessions and more attention.  Our society also has an obsession with doing more.  Somehow, the world has confused busyness with productivity.

Introverts too can get sucked into the culture of more.  We can ignore our innate thirst for solitude.  We might forget the value of doing less.

This attitude can be especially damaging for introverts.  We become mentally and physically exhausted as we try to keep up with busybody extroverts.  In order to fit in, we cram our schedules with unnecessary tasks and social commitments.

The reality is that doing more does not result in accomplishing more.  This is one of the great myths of the 21^st century.  Filling your day with unnecessary tasks is merely a form of distraction. Sometimes distraction can be a good thing.  Too much of it, however, can leave introverts drained and unhappy.

There is nothing wrong with saying no to activities that don’t add value to our lives. It doesn’t mean that we are boring or lazy. It is better to give our time and energy to a few important things than countless fruitless activities.

For many of us, our greatest achievements occur in the empty spaces of life.  We thrive in the culture of less.  We accomplish more when we let go of the busybody mentality.

“Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” ~Winnie The Pooh

Most importantly, introverts shouldn’t feel guilty about doing less.  True contentment lies on the other side of guilt. It can be attained only when we recognize that we are the architects of our own lives. We have the right to construct our lives as we see fit.  No apologies.  No guilt.