I Am

Aleksander Oleszkiewicz Hi, I'm Alek,

I love to create, design, photograph, write, code, learn, share...

I'm finding in me, all the typical traits of an introverted person. Learning about introversion and becoming self-aware about my traits was a great breakthrough in my life. It helped me a lot in understanding why I function in the way I do... which sometimes seemed strange and awkward. Especially when I was comparing myself to more extroverted others.

It all started when I saw the Susan Cain's TED talk about the power of introverts. It was so "me". I was able to relate to so many observations and points she made. Immediately after, I got her book (Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking*) and read it holding my breath.

It was an enlightening for me. I finally realized (being well over 35) that for the whole life I was trying to fight against my own nature. That, things in me, which always seemed weird, are actually natural, just not that common in the society.

Another part of the puzzle which completed my inner change was when I got the Tom Rath's Strengthsfinder 2.0* book and made the test to understand where are my strong and weak areas. This was so refreshing to finally realize, that instead of trying to "fix" my shortcomings it's much more effective to work towards leveraging my strengths and building my live and career based on tasks in which I naturally excel.

I don't think people shall be ignoring their weaknesses, but being aware of my limitations as well as understanding my introverted preferences - helped me a lot in making various life and career choices to avoid (as much as possible) those things which don't fit me well and moving to roles in which I perform naturally well. I do feel now, like finally being able to tap to my natural superpowers :-)

With this blog, I want to share my life stories and thoughts, to let others, who are like me, know that they are not alone. I would like to encourage them to embrace and use their unique strengths and superpowers.

On the way to this blog, when I was collecting ideas and thoughts, I started to express them through one-liners and typography - making designs for t-shirts (and other merchandise). You will find links to places where you can get my works on the I Create page.


Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me.
I'd appreciate any feedback and your thoughts and experiences about topics I'm writing about.

Cheers, Alek
@IntrovertIN