I get so annoyed when people -- be they coworkers or acquaintances -- ask others why they're so quiet. It makes me want to turn around and ask them, "And why can't you keep your mouth shut?"
Of course, there are situations in which you can't escape communicating with others -- interviewing for a job, making a presentation, calling a disgruntled customer over the phone, etc. Sometimes you just have to "fake it to make it."
But that doesn't mean you have to change the essence of who you are. Why would you?
Let's face it: No matter how hard you may try to change from a timid, unassuming introvert to a loquacious extrovert, the real you will always prevail. Embrace your quietness; don't shun it!
It's deeply unsettling that people would go to such lengths for others' approval.
Here's what society won't tell you:
Quiet people tend to have the "loudest" minds.
They're deep thinkers. They think through their words carefully before opening their mouths. They neither waste words nor mince them. Once they come around to telling you what's on their minds, you'll realize it was well worth the wait, as they teem with great ideas they wish to share. They're averse to chit-chat and gravitate toward deep conversations. They prefer small groups to large ones. They rely on solitude in order to recharge, especially after a day involving heavy social interaction.
Unfortunately, quiet individuals get a bad rap, given such labels as "cocky," "stuck-up," "weird," and "antisocial." And it's for this reason that so many people are ashamed to admit they're quiet and feign being outgoing and talkative.
If this sounds like you, don't ever feel pressured into becoming someone you're not. It's better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you're not. So-called friends who criticize you for being quiet aren't true friends. Those who truly belong in your life are the ones who accept you for who you are.
Think of it this way: You're an agent of calm in a world populated by blabbermouths -- people who don't know when to stop talking. Society, unbeknownst to it, could use more people like you. You're special just the way you are, so never feel as though you have to change for anyone but yourself.
Being quiet makes you unique, interesting, mysterious. Those are good qualities to have, no matter what people tell you.
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