How you do you if you’re an introvert? You were probably referred to as one, you always look forward to going back and having some ‘me’ time or maybe you’re not so sure yet about being an introvert.

I have been an introvert all my life. Some see it as being strange, anti-social, arrogant or maybe egoistic. On the other hand, there are people who can take you as being simple calm and quiet and a little less friendly then the rest. Well, you can be either of the two, both of them or none of them. Personality traits differ from person to person. So, that is your call to take – what kind of person you want to be.

If you’re an introvert, I’m sure you’ve been questioned too; you were told how boring and monotonous your life is, that you are no fun. I’ll tell you what. Don’t let this get you down; don’t try to change yourself just because a bunch of people cannot understand you. Change yourself in a way that you’ve always admired, and embrace the person that you are. You don’t need anybody’s approval to breathe. You’re a fire within yourself, anyone who tries to come closer will get hurt. You will decide for whom the doors of the fortress you built will open. Keep your head high and take pride in being you. If you still can’t find reasons, here’s why.

1. You are a very good listener and an even better analyst.

Just because you’re an introvert, doesn’t mean that you don’t have any social life at all. You’re highly selective of people and don’t want everybody to intrude. Being an introvert makes for an absolutely good listener. Listening is an art that is not everyone’s cup of tea, not everybody can master this art. You can, amazing right? Usually, introverts don’t tend to talk much. When you do that you listen to other people and you listen patiently. You analyse the situation, depending it needs that sort of thinking or it’s just plain gossip. The world needs more listeners today, so cheer up. You’re very important to the society.

2. You’re on a hunt within your own self.

You have all the time in the world all to yourself. You don’t feel the need to do anything that does not make sense to you. You’re best happy in your own company, you have the time to discover yourself – find out what you’re good at, things that you need to work on, long lost memories and people who gave you those memories, and many other secrets that have been hiding deep inside you. If not enlightment, a little more knowledge about yourself would be sufficed to satisfy you. A lot of people fail at this, in knowing where they are headed in life. You are not one of them. You know what you’re capable of, you know where your demons hide and you know how to hunt them down and kill them. Now, isn’t that a great quality for a human being? How come you’re not proud of yourself already?

3. You’re calm and quiet, on the outside at least.

Your happy place is you, regardless of where you are. You go, sit by yourself on a park bench and watch the breathtaking sunset. You know why? That’s because there’s a violent rain of thoughts that is about to flood your mind. They can be whatever possible genre available in the world, maybe even beyond that. The outsiders don’t see it. What they see is you sitting alone, being the creep that you are. And by what they see, they assume that you’re much of a quiet person, a fuss-free person. This is why half the time people get surprised when you actually open up to them. They didn’t really see through you, and how could they. You’ve done a very good job at hiding it.

4. You care, you really do.

It’s hard for you to find someone you can look up to, especially when you are out of your comfort zone, when your childhood best friend, your favourite cousin, your sibling and your parents are away from you. How do you find someone who can fit in with the best people on the planet? It really is hard, I completely understand. But when you do, you give your all to them. You can be the total mess that you are, and this time not just in your brain. You share your darkest nightmares and your brightest skies with them. You take care of them and not just friend ‘take care’, but older sibling ‘take care’. You don’t want to lose them. The best part, all of that, every single thing that you feel is genuine because pretending is something that does not come easy to you. You make the best lovers and friends in all kinds of relationships, and that is how you grow even better as a person.

5. You don’t know what peer pressure is.

Does this even need any explaining? We’ve all been down that road and have come back just the same – bored. Bandwagon is not your concept. You live in your own world and you make your own rules. You do what you want, when you want and however you want. You’re strong, and I’m going to tell you this over and over again until it starts running in your veins. You never do something just because someone said so, or it’s in fashion. You’re a thinker and you think your way through it before doing something that is senseless in the first place. Moreover, if you’re someone like me, you believe in doing something out of the box and standing a step away from the crowd. As I said, bandwagon does not work out for people like us.

6. You have your priorities straight.

You have your shit together. How much better can this get? You know what is on top of your to-do list for the day and you know it right. You’re the kind of person who knows how to prioritize things in the best manner. Now, this can be subjective, but it’s definitely not lame. For example, you might not want to do your behavioural science assignment tonight, but you’re working on that post that you’re going to publish on your blog rather than hanging out with your friends; you might just want to sing and play your guitar at home rather than going for a dinner party where you barely know anyone. You see where I’m going? We are that kind of people. Netflix and chill over parties. Always.

7. The less people you know, the easier life will be.

Have you ever been in those crazy-ass situations with someone where you wish you hadn’t met the other person? Of course you have. You have, right? In case you haven’t, you’re the luckiest person alive and I envy you to death. There is a 99% chance that whatever gossip you’re involved in, directly or indirectly, you’re going to get in trouble, major trouble. Mark my words when I say that. Sometimes, these talks can be tempting, they can make people want to have more of them, but you have to learn to walk away from them. One of the things that introverts are best at. It literally takes minutes for you to think that it’s not worth your time. You have a few people in your life and they mean the world to you. Keep it that way. Some people have everything and yet not one-hundredth of the affection that you give and get. Cherish it.

8. You’re strong and independent.

This is my favourite part. You can go travel around the world without having to deal with someone else’s crap. You don’t have to ask permissions or wait for approvals. You don’t have to share anything, not even food or anything that you think is better than that. You know how to stand by yourself and for yourself. You’ve been given something that not everybody has access to, you know how to be yourself. Strength does not always come physically, it comes from the mind and the soul. You have your control over them. It is a result of your personality, the result of the nights you spent thinking why can’t you be like everybody else, with everybody else. Now, you know why. Because you’re different from them and stronger than them.

9. Your observation, though selective, is a God gifted superpower.

You observe things. Every minute detail. Be it someone’s change in behaviour, their choice of food, the way they only talk to you when no one’s around, their multiple personality disorder, their stupid subconscious habits; you notice everything. You might not say it out loud, but yes you do. This is a great trait and it’s only because you care, or simply because you’re awesome. You notice all this for future reference, to make sure you tell them that someone has their back, to know when they are mad, to share their happy moments, to see the pain in their eyes before the tears roll down, if they need sometime alone, need a hug, or are plainly indifferent for that matter. Who wouldn’t want a person like that in their lives? I know you want that too, and I promise you someday you will.

10. Thinking comes naturally to you, just like blinking.

You think. And then you over think. Don’t worry about it, some people don’t even bother dusting their brains. So yes, you’re one against zero again. You have a lot going on inside, so much that it’s hard to say it’s constructive or destructive or both, depending on your likes and dislikes. As a whole, thinking is good. It is only because of thinking that you’re able to achieve all the above listed qualities. Your brain has gone through enough to finally know what it needs to be fed in the growth process. If you’re a reader, good enough. You’re doing a wonderful job, know that nobody loves you more than your books. If not, then read. Whatever you can put your hands on, just pick it up and read. You are going to love the feeling.