I'm an Introvert and It's Not A Bad Thing at All. Everyone Has Been Getting It Wrong.

Growing up as an introvert, we are often seen as the ugly duckling in social gatherings, be it at a party, formal events or a casual hanging out session
among friends or acquaintances. While there is a certain degree of truth about how introverts can be the awkward ones in these functions, there are
certain myths that need to be debunked so people in general can understand introverts better.

While their counterparts are normally seen as the 'better' bunch in socializing or life in general, introverts can be just as good or even better, just in their
own ways. Here are some of the wrong stereotypes about introverts and why intovertness isn't necessarily a bad thing:

Introverts do enjoy socializing; but, only with those they're comfortable with.

We all have that friend (or friends) who excel in small talks and talking to number of people in social gatherings and sometimes we do wish we are like
that. As opposed to what most people assume, introverts do actually enjoy socializing but not with bunch of strangers without any meaningful
interaction.

In other words, introverts prefer to talk with less select few of people whom they can connect more than just on the surface. We want to talk about
things that matter and let the person we're talking to, to be more than just another acquaintance we talked with once at a party. So, the next time you
find an introverted person enjoy talking with you, know that they appreciate your existence as a person, not just another soul passing in their otherwise
quite days.

Introverts can be just as successful as extroverts, if they stop seeing their personality as a flaw.

Back in college, I've always envied those who wouldn't hesitate to voice out their opinion or ask questions. In many occasions, I looked back on my days
and beat myself up for not being 'brave' enough to speak my mind out and regret how different my days (or life in general) could have been if I wasn't so
introverted.

This is the turning point where our lives could be changed by either thinking ourselves as flawed merely for being an introvert or accepting our different
personality and learn to work with it.

Albert Einstein and Audrey Hepburn are among many other famous names who are actually intoverted in nature. So, the next time you find yourself not
being able to talk about your opinion in class, look for another alternative, like meeting the lecturer after class. This way, you could still find the answer to
your curiosity without beating yourself up for being an introvert.

Introverts love talking, about things they're interested in.

After a quarter decade of living, I learn the art of pretending to be interested in things I never actually paid attention to. This is a result of years and years
of practice (and dread). Many intoverts know how dreadful it is to listen to people talk about topics they're not exactly interested in.

When talking to introverts, consider the topic they might be actually interested in and you'll find them to be talking non-stop. We love talking but we get
really tired pretending to be interested in "Why Proton Satria is better than Honda Civic". Note that this is an actual conversation topic I had with my ex-
colleague over lunch. I slept a lot earlier the night after.

Of course, pretending is needed at times, because listening is just as important as talking but know that introverts can pretend as long as extroverts do.
Genuineness is something that you can find in most introverts because we get tired quickly of acting to be interested.

I can write a whole book about the numerous misconceptions that people have about introverts but let's start with the points stated above so that you
can understand intoverts better. In the world where finding thousands of people to talk to can be done with just a click, you'd need introverts to have
actual, meaningful conversations and relationships.