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The Learning Annex is proud to present Luther Spivak, entrepreneur, pushup champion, silent auctioneer and author of the best-selling pamphlet, “All Quiet on the Western Front of My Mouth.”

Luther will present a short history of strong and silent types: from Orga, the first cavewoman to calmly wrestle and then briefly date a wild hyena; to Gary Cooper, an actor so quiet he didn’t realize movies had sound until his 15th talkie.

Luther will next quietly and assertively talk about his 10 easy, foolproof steps to becoming a more confident and less audible you.

• Rid a town overrun of evildoers without saying more than three words. Then quietly leave.
• Initiate a relationship with a needy, hysterical, overly-emotional person. Calmly, and silently listen to their problems. Pretend to go to the bathroom and then quietly leave town.
• Join a local branch of Toastmasters. When it’s your turn to speak, stand up, say “yup” and then quietly leave town.
• Hang out at a karaoke bar for at least two years and don’t do or say anything. One night, finally get up and sing “I’ve –,” and stop. Then quietly leave.
• Sign up for a yoga class. Speak to no one. The first time a classmate speaks despairingly of another, beat the miscreant to a bloody pulp. Then quietly leave town.
• Attend your next family gathering with a new tattoo that covers your face. If they don’t ask you to leave town, quietly leave anyway.
• At a ceremony for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, announce to the audience you’ve mistakenly left your acceptance speech in your other tuxedo/pocket book. Then quietly leav
  e town.

Luther Spivak is an entrepreneur, personal and impersonal trainer and the nation’s #1097 life and business strategist. He was featured on TLC’s “Naked and Unaware.”

Are you sick of people asking, “Why are you so quiet?” What makes this even more annoying is these are the same folks who haven’t stopped talking since the Reagan administration.

If you could get a word in edgewise, you might explain that introverts choose their words carefully and are not fond of small talk. However, by that time the conversation has probably transitioned to a discussion of Uber drivers with zesty body odor.

People may not understand why introverts are quiet. That doesn’t mean you can’t use their lack of insight to your advantage. Your quiet nature is a gift. Embrace it. The world needs more people like you: someone who enjoys nothing more than sitting alone in a movie theater on a Friday night, empty seats on each side and a whole box of Junior Mints you don’t have to share.

Do you seek the solitary life of a reclusive billionaire or James Bond villain, but lack the resources to buy a tropical island or build an army of bikini-clad robot security guards?

Even if you calculate your net worth in nickels and dimes, you can still live like a mad ruler of an isolated empire. Simply follow these easy steps.

• Reconfigure your living space – With some creative decorating, you can make any studio apartment feel like a walled-off fortress in the Himalayas. Go heavy on the earth tones and add an audio loop of angry, exotic birds mating.
• Stock 25 years of supplies – Plan carefully. For example, how will you feel about Dinty Moore Beef Stew after the 10,000th can.
• Declare yourself ruler of your domain – Publish your manifesto on Facebook along with a photo of you wearing crown and scepter. Note: For added effect, make sure your Titanic movie poster is not in the background.
• Security is essential – If your condo community forbids alligator-filled moats, consider hiring a retired snapping turtle to guard your foyer.
• Adjust your personal hygiene to the new you – Because at last, you finally have the time to comb and curl your nose hairs.
• A minimum amount of companionship is essential – Mechanical spouses or motorized significant others can be cost prohibitive. However, retrofitting an inflatable doll is a less expensive alternative. They are great listeners, tolerable lovers and never make demands on you.
• Stay in touch with family and friends – Just because you’re off the grid doesn’t mean you can’t attend Thanksgiving dinners, family reunions and funerals via Skype.

Still feel having your own private paradise is beyond your reach? Remember: Introverts are incredible dreamers, a quality that enables them to accomplish practically anything in their minds. You may not live in a 100-story skyscraper surrounded by barbed wire on a tropical island. It doesn’t mean you can’t run a multinational envelope stuffing conglomerate from the comfort of your breakfast nook.

 

Whether you are an introvert who prefers meditating in the woods, having a delicious dinner-for-one at a fancy restaurant or simply enjoying a peaceful year or two in the comfortable confines of your studio apartment, the solitary life is for you.

The challenge is integrating your less-than-social lifestyle with the rest of your daily routine. Any business management consultant will tell you it’s not easy running a multinational corporation from your Barcalounger. However, just because your idea of a manageable crowd is you, Ben and Jerry does not mean you can’t have a fulfilling life without compromising your values or occasionally encountering a human or two.

It is time for the solitary and happy you to stand up, look at yourself in the mirror and proclaim proudly, “Even if I never leave this room, I can accomplish anything, and I don’t have to shave my armpits.”

Many people trace the discovery of introverts to Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung, a colleague of Sigmund Freud and tennis partner of a very young Dr. Phil. Before his ground-breaking theories on introversion, inwardly-thinking people who preferred being alone were considered possessed by arrogant and self-centered demons. Today, as a result of Jung’s research, a more-enlightened world views introverts as simply arrogant and self-centered.

The definition of introvert, like most forms of human behavior, depends on what turns up when you google it on the Internet. Generally speaking:

• Introverts gain energy from being alone and lose energy while being in groups of people. Extroverts, on the other hand, gain energy from being with people. This explains why the most effective warmup exercise for introverted athletes is sitting peacefully in their locker.
• Introverts find being in crowds of people stressful. They avoid large noisy parties, business conferences, and medical operations in which the surgeon has more than two assistants. Whereas extroverts enjoy sharing deodorant tips with total strangers while commuting in a packed subway car.
• Introverts are more reserved and reflective than extroverts. In fact, most exhibit anger by slightly exhaling and checking for text messages.
• Introverts take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, taking long walks in the woods and appearing unapproachable.
• Introverts are more analytical and think before they talk, sometimes days before deciding if they “want fries with that.” Extroverts, on the other hand, think about what they said hours later while nursing a black eye.
• Introverts do not enjoy small talk. In fact, few can chat about the weather unless the conversation includes, cold fronts, doppler radars and why female meteorologists always wear sleeveless dresses.
• Introverts have deep, rich inner-lives. For example, most introverted law students typically think about unicorns and tangerines while taking the bar exam.

Many people possess characteristics of both introverts and extroverts. For example, some introverts can’t stop engaging in small talk with themselves, asking, “What do I do for a living?” and “How much did I pay for this house?” In most cases, however, one personality favors the other. This is also why few personal ads read: “Naughty extrovert wants to explore my less talkative side.”

Daisy Feldman

I knew something had gone wrong with my emergency liposuction surgery when I heard my operating surgeon say, “That’s it. We did everything we could.” Seconds later, I was hovering over my own body and yelling at the doctor, “No you didn’t! You only removed my insurance card!” But nobody heard me.

The next thing I remember is floating gently away. I was overtaken by a comforting sense of tranquility as I drifted through a quiet tunnel towards a soft glimmering light. For the first time, I felt as though I was living in the moment. My never-ending conversation with myself faded away – for a few seconds and then I began talking to myself about why my never-ending conversation stopped.

I finally reached the end of the tunnel. I was met by un-defined figure who I assumed was a woman, although she could’ve been a male with a high-pitched voice. Regardless, she radiated a lovely aura. After greeting me, she said softly, “Join us.” I was overcome with a feeling of acceptance and understanding. After a lifetime as an introvert struggling to fit in, I had finally arrived at the place where I belong.

Imagine my surprise when we entered a large, bright room packed shoulder-to-shoulder with other un-defined figures, talking and laughing loudly. A stereo was pounding nineties techno rock. One by one, people approached me and spoke: “How are you? “What do you do for a living?” “I still can’t get over the great weather we have here.” “Why are you so quiet.” “Do these ill-defined jeans make my ill-defined ass look big?

My first impulse was to find a bathroom where I could be alone and gather my thoughts. Then I realized I was now in a place that didn’t require bathrooms.

As I watched a group of 20 noisy ill-defined figures play Tag Team Twister, I asked myself, what did all this mean? Is the afterlife just as unaccepting of introverts as the current life? Will we have to wait until Susan Cain passes on to the hereafter before extroverted spirits understand that there’s nothing wrong with a ghost wanting to stay home on a Friday night and read a book?

Or maybe it was not my time to die. At this point, it didn’t matter; I just wanted to leave. I wanted to go back.

Since I’m used to leaving parties early, this was the easiest part. I slipped out the door and drifted back through the tunnel, away from the light and noise. The next thing I remember I was lying on the operating table and a nurse, gasped, “Doctor, she’s breathing! She’s alive!” The doctor responded, “I’ll be the judge of that.”

Was this all a dream, or is the afterlife one big noisy, crowded happy hour? I can’t say for sure. However, if you are an introvert who values your peace and solitude, I recommend strongly you practice walking away from the light, any light.