Label Jars Not People

Introvert.  I've been labeled an introvert for as long as I can remember.  This label has not been one I've felt proud of.  For me the word introvert has conjured up a dull, anti-social wallflower who has no social skills.
Since beginning the journey of making peace with myself and honoring the truth of who I am,  I've dug into this word introvert and tried to figure out what it really means and how it applies to me.  I've discovered a huge spectrum within the realm of introverts and extroverts.  For example - some friends I know would be thought of as extroverted because they're pretty social and chatty when out with people.  These same folks also NEED space and quiet time to function at their best.  In other words, they are energized by time alone.  Others may seem more reserved socially, yet they don't need time alone to recharge and instead are energized by being with others.
All this to say I've been struggling with the concept of labeling people as introverted or extroverted.  I'm not sure if it's still because I feel being introverted is less valued or what.  I really do believe the culture at large is set up for extroverts and I feel often that as an introvert I have to work so much harder to keep up.  Also, I've found introverts are LABELED more than extroverts.  Or maybe it just seems that way to me.
So to contradict my dislike of being labeled, here are some quotes that resonate with my experience in the world.  Call it introvert if you must, it's just life for me.

Just do it.

I’ve been running since late July.  Let me amend that – I began trying to start running in late July.  It started out with mostly walking with a minute or two of running every so often.  Those few minutes used to kill me.  I kept at it walking/jogging increasing the amount of time I jogged and now I can actually JOG for 3 miles without stopping!  I am dumbfounded by this.  Even more perplexing to me is that I actually enjoy these 30 minute jaunts in my little neighborhood.

There is something incredibly empowering to me about setting a goal and then slowly, with persistence accomplishing it.  It doesn’t happen often that I amaze myself.  Oh  - I guess every now and then I feel proud of something I’ve done or created.  Of course giving birth to my children was pretty amazing.  But on a daily basis I tend to be fairly unimpressed by my own personal accomplishments.  So this running – this is for me.  It feels good and healthy and almost meditative at times.  For me it has become more than exercise but part of the digging deep process I talked about last week.  If I'm feeling stressed out or unmotivated or just had one of those days where I'm feeling not "enough" I can lace up my tennis shoes and work up a sweat with my ipod and by the time I return I usually feel relaxed, energized and best of all so dang proud of myself!

Here I must admit that I don't always "feel" like jogging.  Here's a recent example of a rainy day I didn't want to go but was seriously happy I had by the time I was done! 

Before

After

Have a terrific Tuesday!

p.s.  I have to mention my good friend Carol as being a huge inspiration for me with this:)