From Introvert to Successful Extrovert

I have been challenging myself to be more introverted than extroverted. Doing so, I have realised there is success and recognition that comes with a more extroverted personality.

One quarter of the population is introverted . This means that one quarter of the population prefers solitary activities over social activities. The problem with being introverted is that you miss out on the opportunities that extroverted individuals get.

Extroverted individuals tend to:

• Get noticed for their achievements more (as they like to openly talk about thier successes)
• Find meeting other people easier (as they enjoy and prefer to socialise)
• Find dating easier (as they enjoy communicating with new people)
• Have more opportunities open to them (from the contacts they made when socialising)

Now being an introvert is not the same as being shy . We have all been shy at some stage in our lives, but only some of us will be introverted. WikiHow.com explains the difference well when it says:

Being introverted is not the same as being shy. An introvert genuinely enjoys solitary activities more than social ones, whereas someone who's shy stays away from social situations because of fear and anxiety. If you're someone who wants to talk to people and socialize but feel paralysed, or if you don't feel self-confident, you're probably grappling with shyness.^[4]

Years ago, I was a quiet, shy and introverted individual. I have realised that to be successful in anything you do, you need to know how to be extroverted . You do not need to be extroverted all the time, just when it matters. During this transition I noticed that there was quite a few thing stopping me such as:

• Not recognising the value of being an extrovert
• Underdeveloped social skills
• Assuming extroverts are more like pushy salesmen rather than a friendly person who is happy to introduce themselves.
• Thinking that online socializing is enough .

Once I realised that these were the only things stopping me, I set my goals to get around these flaws. If you are an introverted person, I would recommend you take the following steps to self improvement:

1. Acknowledge that your introverted personality is holding you back .
2. Picture yourself as the type of person you would like to be. Maybe a kind and friendly extrovert?
3. Set goals that you would like to achieve in your social life.
4. Challenge yourself to develop real world social skills rather than those required online.

You may find it hard and not enjoy it at the start but you will grow into it. Half the battle is to find something that you enjoy about being a socialising extrovert. Once you have something you like about it, then it will become much easier.

Some other tips that might help you are:

• When thinking about relationships, think "What can I give? " rather than "What can I get?".
• Find a social group that fits the type of person you would like to be.
• Find a group or club to belong to that you enjoy.
• Work on improving your weak points .
• Think about how your strengths can help you.

As long as you realise that there is a time to be introverted and a time to be extroverted , you should be able to improve your social skills.