I have always desired to be an extrovert, and at times I have even managed to pull it off. My truest nature, however, is as an introvert.
Being a teacher is a tricky, because I have to put out so much energy on a daily basis that I am exhausted by the end of the day/week and my initial feelings are always to curl up at home by myself. This tendency has done nothing to help me foster deep relationships with others.
As a nation, Americans value extrovert personality types--this can be difficult for those of us who are natural introverts. My wannabe desires often clash with my natural introvert tendencies. I want to enjoy parties, small talk and making friends--but my reality is just the opposite--I don't enjoy large parties, I hate making small talk, and it is very hard for me to make friends.
I saw this picture floating around Facebook today and then tried to track down the original link. I love this list because it so aptly describes me. Dr. Silverman wrote the list and you can read the whole article here. The link to the image I found online is here.
My wannabe journey is reconciling who I am with what I want to become. I know to achieve a number of my goals I have to be wiling to set aside some of my introvert tendencies and embrace the small amounts of extroversion within me. Until then, the list above is a great way to help all of my extroverted readers understand the introverts in their lives.