An Introvert’s Perspective to a Secret Life
There’s no need to tell everyone your business and if like me you are an introvert chances are you don’t. Even close friends and family don’t need to know all aspects of your life. You can indulge in at least part of your life, a creative side or secret hobbies just for you. None of my friends or family know about this blog (at the time of writing) or any of my online creative pursuits as detailed in my blog Creating & Selling Digital Art.
You will not then be on other people’s schedule ‘have you posted your blog yet? when they may think you should have things done so you won’t need to worry about these types of questions that might be well meaning but can be a little distracting and an annoyance along the way. I created this blog website on my terms in silence and as mentioned in my post Starting a Blog as an Introvert you can also do things such as creating a blog anonymously. This gives me and will for you also heavenly freedom! Bliss.
It’s a great freeing feeling not needing anyone else’s validation. Being an introvert can come in handy for this as generally, people will not expect a complete rundown of what introverts get up to and for there to be announcements to the world of every detail of what is going on.
Broaden your happiness sources
When negativity is looming large in one area of your life you can feel a lot more content in knowing you have other creative endeavours or secret pursuits where you are in complete control. I have found this works wonders if for example you are having a bad day at work at least you have some solace that it is not your complete world other than eating and sleeping. Instead you can choose to have another world where you can grow, find peace and find creative expression.
In my experience, the times I’ve told friends and family my creative details, a feeling of regret quickly replaced any initial flourish of conveying creative achievement. To me it is not worth that awkward feeling of thinking others may feel obligated to buy my stuff or give praise when secretly they might not get it or be interested. I have since decided my creative life is essentially just for me.
At some point I may disclose vague details, but I can’t see the benefits outweighing the negatives. Each to their own, it is up to you, your personality, the bond you have with your nearest and dearest and how much you want others to know about your life.
Secret Stash
I want to preface this segment with advising I am not a financial expert and you should seek individual tailored advice that match your circumstances. However, there are plenty of financial experts you can follow for free general advice. Two that I have followed over the years are Suze Orman and The Barefoot Investor. Having a secret stash has improved my overall confidence in knowing if I were to lose my main source of income for an extended period of time then I can tap into my ‘liquid emergency fund’.
Personally, I am comfortable with 6 months replacement income however you may be comfortable with less or more than that. Even if you are in a loving relationship and need a joint bank account to pay off the mortgage it is still a confidence booster to pay off or down debt in addition to having your own liquid funds. If you don’t have your basic financial foundation sorted, you can’t afford that new …….
Get lost in the world of books
I personally prefer real physical books to give my corporate 9-5 screen eyes a break in addition to the tactile reason. There are many genres and stories to suit everyone and most people have access to free books via their local libraries. In my local area there are a number of street libraries in front of houses. Throughout the neighbourhood there are ‘mini libraries’ full of books attached to front fences. Of course, if you prefer and it’s easier for you, you also can get free eBooks. Your brain will thank you for giving it other things to think about and enjoy rather than just the daily grind. It helps you diversify and broaden your thinking to not just be consumed with daily routines.
Spend time now to improve your future you
Days, weeks, months and years can easily go by in a blur and without helping shape future you. Investing daily even as little as 5-10 minutes on things that can improve your future situation is a good feeling. Even in a jam packed exhausting day, a little time finishing or working on something that will help in whatever you are wanting to achieve will mean the day has not been solely on fulfilling present day requirements.
You may not know exactly what activities or creative pursuits you want to have as part of your private life. That is fine, take time to consciously think about what you want and the little baby steps you can start making today to improve your life in the future. Life will keep going at a rapid pace no matter what you decide to do with your time.
It is up to you to take charge and decide not to let life get away without exploring ideas and putting them into action. I know from experience you do gain overall confidence knowing secretly you are taking action towards your future. Sure there’s a time for thinking and dreaming which I have done more than my fair share of but without action nothing happens.
So, make it happen!
