Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come
An Introvert's Year of Living Dangerously
Ratings21
Average rating4.2
'Funny, emotional and deeply inspiring, this is perfect for anyone wanting to break out of their comfort zone' Heat What would happen if a shy introvert lived as an out-and-out extrovert for one year? Jessica Pan is about to find out... * When she found herself jobless and friendless, sitting in the familiar Jess-shaped crease on her sofa, she couldn't help but wonder what life might have looked like if she had been a little more open to new experiences and new people, a little less attached to going home instead of going to the pub. So, she made a vow- to push herself to live the life of an extrovert for a year. She wrote a list- improv, a solo holiday and... talking to strangers on the tube. She regretted it instantly. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come follows Jess's hilarious and painful year of misadventures in extroverting, reporting back from the frontlines for all the introverts out there. But is life actually better or easier for the extroverts? Or is it the nightmare Jess always thought it would be? * 'In a world of self-care and nights in, this book will inspire and remind you to do some things that scare you every so often.' Emma Gannon 'Tender, courageous and extremely funny, this book will make us all braver.' Daisy Buchanan 'A chronicle of Pan's hilarious and painful year of being an extrovert.' Stylist
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3.5 I'm largely resistant to labels, self-mythologising, and platitudes of self-help, but these aspects were balanced out with a respect for embracing uncertainty and Jessica's comic tone.
Where do selfish, godless, lazy people go to make friends? That's where I need to be.
I am a shintrovert. I'm shy, have problems making prolonged eye contact when speaking with people, and I'm miserable in front of a group of more than two people. But here we are, in a world where extroverts are rewarded and introverts are left feeling like they're perpetually at a disadvantage in any social situation. I recognize my weaknesses and try to get better. I put myself out there in small ways, and I swear by the ‘fake it until I make it' approach. I want to be the person giving cool, collected updates at meetings, making friends wherever I go, always having something insightful/funny/sincere to say beyond “man it's hot outside”.
The author takes this same approach, and dials it up to 11. In one year she's done things I, in the safety and security of my computer chair, would never do. Comedy standup. Giving speeches. Networking events. Taking an impromptu trip solo to a country with no preparation beforehand. A dinner party. I am simultaneously in awe of her and exhausted for her. I can't imagine the energy reserves she burned through doing all that as a shintrovert like me.
This book doesn't have any groundbreaking methods for “curing” being a shintrovert. There's nothing wrong with being who you are. But for people like me who want something just a bit more, there's a lot of inspiration here for keeping up the good fight and maybe saying yes to more events I'd probably say no to before reading this book. The real secret is just to grin and bear it, have a support friend or two to lean on during the journey, and put yourself out there more. That's all.
