Is everybody sitting comfortably...?

I’ve just returned from a jaunt to Ibiza which involved a gaggle of friends, a private plane and an air conditioned yacht: the super-food ingredients of a spectacularly indulgent treat. (It is nice to have friends with toys and being invited to play with them.)

Leaving my business in the very capable hands of my office cherubs, I padded around the deck in an array of colourful bikinis, reclined languidly and generally lapped up the lifestyle. I love the ship-shape organisation of nautical life. Every nook and cranny has a use so there’s no room for junk. The tiny kitchen is pared down to good quality, essential tableware and cooking utensils. Everything I needed to whip up fresh watermelon martinis: my favourite!

A good time was had by all. Then an old friend of mine (male, trustworthy) called me ‘an extrovert’ at 12,000 ft on the return journey. I was totally offended: isn’t an extrovert the polite way of saying ‘attention grabbing loud mouth’? Someone that constantly feels for the spotlight and tries to edge others off their stage? A girl at school with me was ‘extroverted’, she’s now divorced and apparently alienated all her friends.

Extroverts are the kind that tweet and blog, confident that their musings will nourish a ravenous flock of admirers. That didn’t sound like me. Sure, I like to throw an impromptu party and create an electric atmosphere whenever possible, but I never demand to be Queen Bee once the guests arrive. A party should be an ensemble, not a one-woman show.  I’m social, but actually deep down a little shy. Obviously not the image I’ve been projecting to my friends.

He could see I was hurt, so he reassured me that in fact people often misinterpret the word: an extrovert is someone that is energised by the people around them (an introvert is energised by being alone). They like to talk to someone rather than sit alone and think.

Ok, well that did ring true. My husband and I will think of any excuse to entertain at home, to be stimulated by dynamic and interesting people (though that doesn’t mean that we don’t love being a deux!) And in business, I work best when I’m discussing ideas, listening and learning what people want. Friends or clients will often call me to get advice on what to buy to impress their wife/husband or appease their recalcitrant brother-in-law. That interaction definitely energises me. And to hear the results, it’s wonderful to say my advice always has the desired effect.

And so, clutching my seat as we bumped through the turbulent blackening clouds, an epiphany dawned. If I survive this flight, shouldn’t I, as a newly baptised extrovert, share my tips with all my clients on a more official basis? Pass on any pearls of wisdom that come my way? Embrace the new age and become a blogger?

Well, I survived to tell this tale, and this is my first blog.

Scarlett Willow