Hello there, I’m Lynne.
Welcome to my blog ‘All Things Quiet’..

This is a blog about, and for, quiet people. It’s my own (shared) journey into exploring what it means to live and thrive as an introvert, or quiet person, in an extrovert world. …. It really is about ‘all things quiet’.

If you want to know more about what it means to be a introvert, or quiet person, please go and buy Susan Cain’s wonderful book ‘Quiet’, or go on over to her site www.thepowerofintroverts.com. You’ll find all the information and inspiration you need there, and more. Much more.

I’ve done a lot of different things in life up to now….
I’ve been a teacher,  I’ve worked in church organisations, been a counsellor, done research, worked in a convent laundry ironing habits…(that one was a bit odd), run holiday camps for children.. I still do some of those things (not the ironing habits one).

But these things just tell you stuff I’ve DONE, not who I AM…what makes me tick. (What makes us tick is much more interesting).

So, here’s some of my likes and dislikes to paint a clearer picture:

I really like…long walks in the countryside, pubs with open fires and soft friendly dogs, books, books and more books, visiting ancient historical sites, being by the sea (and mountains), acting daft in pantomimes, Shakespeare (of course!), playing frisbee, live music, stories, banana cake, lovely friends and family, writing, and having as much ‘me’ time as I can reasonably negotiate!

I really dislike… feeling I’m on a treadmill of someone else’s making, cold, wet and windy weather, hierarchical office politics, gangster films, being overly busy, celery (the mere smell makes me heave), meetings with no structure that go on….and on…., too much small talk, (or even, too much talk!), having things sprung on me, big spiders, traffic and noisy environments. Oh, and the smell of petrol!

The thing you really need to know about me though is that I’m one of life’s quiet people . In all probability you are too if you’re reading this ( unless you’re my family, who HAVE to read this, or some poor soul hopelessly lost in the blogosphere). I’m happy being an introvert, and I’ve learnt (over time) how to live life according to those quiet strengths.

The second thing you need to know about me is that I believe passionately that quiet people have a voice that needs to be heard. I’m a signed up member of ‘the Quiet Revolution’. Yes, I’m a quiet revolutionary.  I like that!

The quiet voice has not traditionally been heard as often as the more vocal, extrovert voice.  Granted, the social stage is the extrovert’s natural setting but we have a part to play in this too, either because we have chosen, for whatever reason, to remain silent, or because we’re not able, or haven’t yet learnt how to make ourselves heard above the roar of life.

We are ‘small voices in a big world’.

But I really believe that as quiet people we HAVE a voice, and that voice matters just as much as our more vocal neighbours in life.
We CAN learn how to communicate so that we are heard…

And we’d better learn, because we have important things to say that our world needs to hear.

At first, you may not know what that voice sounds like,
or what it wants to say,
or who would even listen!

but I’m convinced that it’s essential that we find our voices…

That’s why I became a teacher, but even more so, it’s why I became a counsellor.

So come on in….I’m  really excited you’re here!

I’ll be sharing my journey with you, alongside stories, research, books and lots of other helps along the way that I’ve found useful, all designed to explore and think around ‘all things quiet’.
I hope you’ll find encouragement here to discover those special, unique voices,  to learn what your amazing voices have to say, and to find the ‘just-right’ platforms to speak out from.

Welcome to All Things Quiet …  You may be ‘a small voice in a big world’ but …

THAT VOICE COUNTS!