Log #7

Being Introverted

I am an introverted person. I feel nervous and uncomfortable when being in an unfamiliar environment. I seldom talk to strangers actively, and I am not good at chatting with unacquainted people. Unfortunately, this kind of personality seems to be negative nowadays. However, not being outgoing doesn’t mean that I am not friendly. I think being introverted should not be a weak point. 

In fact, I had been worried about this issue before because it is hard for an introvert to blend in with a group. Moreover, many people kept telling me that I should get rid of this kind of shy personality and try to be more outgoing. However, it’s not easy to change one’s personality; therefore, I kept avoiding this problem. Until several months ago, I participated in an extracurricular activity of preparing a winter camp. One day one of the leading member asked me, “Have you got close with any member?”, “Did you make any new friend?”, and “Did you improve your personality and become more outgoing?” For an introvert, it takes time to get familiar with other people, not to mention making new friend in a short period of time. After listening his questions, I started to face this issue seriously. After deep consideration, I realized that being introverted is my personality, and I don’t think it is a negative one. Then, why should I force myself to change? People have various kind of personalities, not everyone should be very lively and outgoing. I am shy, and I am not good at making friend with others actively, but that’s me! I think I don’t need to force such a shy person like me to be outgoing. I am happy to be myself and accept my own personality.