Accepting That I am an Introvert

From Wikipedia:

Introversion is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one’s own mental life". Introverts tend to be more reserved and less outspoken in large groups. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, drawing, and using computers. The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, composer, and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people, though they tend to enjoy interactions with close friends. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate. Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement. They are more analytical before speaking.

Introversion is not the same as shyness. Introverts choose solitary over social activities by preference, whereas shy people avoid social encounters out of fear.

It is very hard to look at introversion as a positive thing.

Society does seem to favor the extrovert. People are celebrated for being the light in the room. Because of this, there are an endless amount of “how to be an extrovert” books and articles. I have to admit that I have longed to be an extrovert every now and then.

However, it makes more sense to work with what you have than long to be something different. Of course, if you do have something that is objectively a FLAW, I fully support changing that as much as possible. However, some things I once thought of as flaws have their own benefits and I am interested in getting a better understanding of those benefits and using them to my advantage.

What i learned recently regarding introversion is that is does not equal shyness or poor social skills. It simply means you get energy from yourself rather than extraverts, who get their energy from other people.

What a concept! And why would I even *want* to change that? 

There are strengths to this ability – independence, a very active mental life – and it’s focusing on those that will make me happier and make it easier to more accurately judge any direction I decide to go.

Also, introverts are generally more mysterious – and what woman doesn’t love being a little mysterious?