Being an Extrovert Introvert
I have always had numerous friends and enjoyed talking and meeting a lot of people. Traveling a lot in my younger years has help greatly and allowed me to meet people from all backgrounds and very varied cultures.
Yet, I have noticed in the last few years that I have troubles taking part in a conversation in a large setting. Even if I may try to talk, the moment someone else starts talking, I stops and listen instead. Since the more people there are, the more probable this gets, I usually just sit and wait for a while.
This most certainly stems from me being mainly an introvert with a grain of extrovert that has allowed me to get large groups of friends.
Yet, it is a weird feeling to know that you can take part in a conversation, know all the parties and the topic well and end up just listening.
This obviously has its advantages as it allows me to swallow the knowledge and information shared during large groups conversations but can be frustrating as well.
For a long time, I was thinking this was something to fix. Not taking part in conversations seems like it could be a downside of being an introvert. However, I have come to think the opposite.
The important thing to do is to make use of one’s best capabilities. Mine being one-on-one conversations, I should indeed keep on listening to group conversations and get as much information as possible. Obviously when someone addresses me, I can then take part and make sure that my knowledge is put to use accordingly.
Being an extrovert obviously also has its downsides as it makes such people have difficulties with self-confidence. Indeed, extroverts rely heavily on outside feedback and approval. They are often expected to provide energy to a conversation, which can be tiring.
As a matter of fact, due to speaking many languages and having a large group of friends, I have often been considered a full-on extrovert. As mentioned above, I do have a part extrovert in me, but I am mostly an introvert.
Being considered extrovert when you aren’t that much puts a lot of pressure on said person and can on the contrary make you even less able to provide the energy required.
I wonder what would be the downside of an extrovert with a touch of introvert though. From this side of the spectrum, I can only perceive positive aspects. They would be able to handle large and small groups while being at easy with calm and being alone.
If you are in the above category, please let me know what the downsides are!
