I'm an introvert but...

Are you an introvert just like me? Don't you get tired of people assuming you're like this or that, and in the end, people get the wrong impression of you— most of them make you sound like a caveman who's scared of the sunlight— I get annoyed at all these wronlgy assumed facts about introverts but I've learnt to deal with them in my own way(:

So,to get some things straight, here's a list of some facts about introverts that are true and notso true.

#1

Introverts are quiet because they are sad/lonely/snobby

Fact or Myth: Totally a myth

Being quiet doesn't always equate to being sad, lonely or even snobby. We introverts are quiet around people because sometimes, we just don't have anything to say or don't know what to say to them. That's all. There's no mojo jojo happening either. Also, introverts are not really into small talks. We prefer long conversations that fall inside the bubble of our interests.

As for me, there's another reason to why I'm quiet most of the time. You

d probably seen me staring at nothing from time to time. Fret not, I wasn't seeing something you couldn't see, I was just having my usual internal dialogues with myself and I. Therefore, please don't get offended if I talk to you seldomly or not at all. It's not you, it's just me(;

You'd be surprised and probably quite annoyed once we start to talk your ears off.

#2

Introverts are shy/anti-social/socially awkward creatures

Fact or Myth: Myth and as for being socially awkward, it's slightly true, well in my case

Now, introverts are not shy or anti-social by default. We definitely are not, we like having fun and going all crazy too like Katy Perry's persona in her Last Friday Night MV. The reason why we don't appear to b where the crowd most of the time is because it drains us. Yes, interacting with a lot of people most f the time exhaust the hell out of us. If we don't get our daily dosage of 'me time', we get all moody. So, don't get disheartened if we usually decline your invitations to hang out. Just keep 'em coming and we'll accept it when we're fully charged again(:

As for the socially awkward part, I guess it all depends on the amount of time you spend with people determines your capability to handle situations that involve them. If you want to be more confident around people and not make a fool of yourself, go out there and mingle. Reading those guide books alone will get you nowhere— you're only half way there— you've got to do the real thing because acting it out is totally different from just making up scenarios in your head.

#3

Introverts don't make good leaders or public speakers

Fact or Myth: Myth and myth

Who said we don't make good leaders? Hell yeah we definitely can if we want to! Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln and Ghandi are just some examples of leaders who are actually introverts. Surprising? Not for me. Before you guys bash me or something, I'm not saying extroverts are bad at being leaders, both types make good leaders as a matter of fact. Like what Daniel Pink said, "...in some sense we are all born to sell and equipped to lead. And that means a hidden but urgent challenge for organizations of every kind is to shatter the stereotypes of who's an effective leader." So there you have it, introverts and extroverts are equipped to be great leaders.

When it comes to public speaking, we can dance our way up the stage and do our stuff too, you know. We are those type of people who have a lot going on in our heads but just keep them in there. It takes courage and practice to be able to stand in front of a huge crowd and send the message across without peeing in our pants.

#4

You can easily distinguish us from the extroverts

Fact or Myth: What? It's not a costume one can wear, okay? Therefore, it's definitely a myth

Whoever thought of this is so judgemental. Ugh. Okay, not everyone of us are purely introverted or extroverted. If you lay yourself out n a spectrum, you'll most likely fall in between the two ends or more to this side or that. The environment a person is brought up in or a situation he/she finds oneself in can affect his/her trait. For example, an extrovert who grew up in a family that encourages reading a lot may come off as an introvert to some. Being a bookworm doesn't make you an introvert. A situation we found ourselves in also place a part. Our society can be quite biased towards extroverted personality traits. Therefore, you've got to be flexible if you want survive out there.