Maintaining An Air of Mystery

Which Keeps You and The World Interesting

Sitting at my favorite hole in the wall spot at Schipol Airport, gearing up for my flight back home from Tanzania. And as a people watcher, I am in heaven. Hear me out.

Many won't believe that I'm an introvert. Chidi—the energetic teacher, the intense interviewer, the lively counsel, the conversation starter with the large voice, the cat that danced on the bar at the club in Rio. Nah.

Yes, I am an introvert, and so are many of the dynamic, fully engaged people we know and work with. We just have more sensitive noise filters, actively chase the quiet, and are self-contained...no drama. Simple is the mantra. Introvert doesn't mean shy or anti-social, just means we don't mind rolling solo, taking spending time alone over the after-party and small talk.

More DJ than MC.

We out here.

I wrote this on LinkedIn about a year ago, and I got some serious push/feed/blow/talk back from many of my people.

“Chidi? Introvert for where?”, many asked.

It is the truth, and I am a proud dues paying member of the Introvert Association of The World, IATW. It’s not just a matter of how I feel, but more of a vibe about how I feel about what people see about me.

Denzel Washington said something that I will probably write a lot more about on Fashi Mindset. He said, and I quote, “ If they see you for free all week, they won’t pay to see you on the weekend. I don’t tweet. I don’t have Instagram. I embrace my inner analog.”

Inner analog. See, GenZs…you don’t have creating badass phrases on lockdown.

My mother is my mentor introvert. She has always kept a low profile, never sought the limelight, and just minds her own business. You want to talk about someone who is very in tune with her inner analog. When folks ask about my mom, I get the sense they just want something new they can hang on to, because she ain’t giving it to them.

“I ain’t got it, so you can’t get it“, IATW member DMX

Maintaining an air of mystery for me is primarily about minding your own business. Staying in your lane, and doing what needs to be done. I’ve been accused of coming across as aloof, not picking up the phone and calling as much as I could. That’s just a bruh that’s minding his business. I like to sit in the back…of the bus, the auditorium, the wedding event. I’m not driving or speaking or getting married so why take up space in the front? Please don’t get it twisted—I will show up when needed. I will drop an epic speech. Or liven up a room. Light a fire under your ass. Argue you into a corner. But, once the performance is done, I am out. Gone. I am that guy that is very big on what his hotel room looks and feels like because when I am on the road, that is my Bat Cave. Being an enigma aligns with my voyeuristic side, the side that loves to watch and observe people, come up with stories and narratives about strangers I will never see again who have no clue that there is a book being written about them in my head.

Books that will never get published.

So that’s why I can be a bit hard to put your arms around. You can’t observe others when you are in the spotlight. You put yourself out there, and then you are the one being observed, nitpicked, with all kinds of narratives that strip that enigmatic riddle that keeps your vibe interesting. It is not for everyone o. Many can’t handle not getting or being the center of attention, and I know from experience that being an open book has its benefits. I am sure the Extrovert Association of The World, EATW, have an equally compelling case to make for membership.

But me? You see me, yet you don’t. And I like it that way—the DJ or producer, not the MC or talent with the mic.

Alright, let me get back to channeling my inner analog and giving the people of Schipol my undivided attention.