I had a mentor who used to say there are two kinds of people in the world: expanders and contractors.
Expands walk into a room and everything opens up a little bit. Breathing is easier and your molecules relax. Contractors make everything a little bit more tense. The world feels a bit heavier when they’re around. (Austin Kleon might call these people vampires.)
Personally, I think we all have the capacity to be both expanders and contractors, just as it’s possible to be both an introvert and an extrovert. Like everything else in life, it all depends on context: who else is in the room, your mood, the events of the day, etc.
The trick lies in knowing how your presence impacts those around you.
joshua chamberlain 