Based on my personal experiences, one thing I'd add to this conversation is that your level of introversion may be more mutable than you may think. People often talk about the trait like it's very stable and inborn, and I think it is to an extent, but it can change over time.
I give myself as an example. I'm 30 now, and up until my mid-twenties I could easily be considered introverted. I always got a strong 'I' on Myers-Briggs type tests. Other people told me I was introverted all the time as well,
I agreed. I loved my alone time, wasn't super motivated to socialize with others, and got drained by being with people.
I also happened to have weak social skills, and wasn't happy with that. As I improved my social skills, and gained the ability to better enjoy other people's company, I noticed a lot of my so-called inborn, introverted personality traits were lessening as the years went by:
-I wasn't getting drained by socializing any more, because it was easier, more fun, and didn't use up as much mental effort.
-I still appreciated my alone time, like everyone really, but I didn't crave it as intensely.
-My internal motivation to socialize and be around other people went way up.
-In time I started to want to hang around bigger groups of people and do louder, crazier things when I went out. It was almost like I got used to smaller events, and sometimes needed something more stimulating to get my social 'fix'
-I just got more chatty and outgoing in general.
Looking back, I feel a lot of my introverted tendencies were a result of a social skill/comfort deficit I had. They felt like a core part of my personality at the time, but looking back I don't know if they were.
That said, I still love spending some days all by myself doing nothing. But it's good to have the ability to switch into a social mode when I want to.
I give myself as an example. I'm 30 now, and up until my mid-twenties I could easily be considered introverted. I always got a strong 'I' on Myers-Briggs type tests. Other people told me I was introverted all the time as well,
I agreed. I loved my alone time, wasn't super motivated to socialize with others, and got drained by being with people.
I also happened to have weak social skills, and wasn't happy with that. As I improved my social skills, and gained the ability to better enjoy other people's company, I noticed a lot of my so-called inborn, introverted personality traits were lessening as the years went by:
-I wasn't getting drained by socializing any more, because it was easier, more fun, and didn't use up as much mental effort.
-I still appreciated my alone time, like everyone really, but I didn't crave it as intensely.
-My internal motivation to socialize and be around other people went way up.
-In time I started to want to hang around bigger groups of people and do louder, crazier things when I went out. It was almost like I got used to smaller events, and sometimes needed something more stimulating to get my social 'fix'
-I just got more chatty and outgoing in general.
Looking back, I feel a lot of my introverted tendencies were a result of a social skill/comfort deficit I had. They felt like a core part of my personality at the time, but looking back I don't know if they were.
That said, I still love spending some days all by myself doing nothing. But it's good to have the ability to switch into a social mode when I want to.