"Being Outgoing, but you're actually Shy"

I came across this entry titled "18 Struggles of having an outgoing personality, but actually being shy and introverted". 

The 18 "struggles" could not reflect my personality, thoughts, and overall demeanor more perfectly, I had to blog about it. If you are kicking yourself to figure out why you are shy in one way, and why you are extroverted in another, then I highly recommend reading this article. Before I begin, I want to add you are normal, and represent maybe half of the population who are just that. In the workplace specifically, I have been questioned, and taunted over my shy-ness and the fact I need to speak up. It's hard when you aren't comfortable, and harder when you are being forced - which is why I embrace every part of who I am. Now, don't get me wrong, I am well aware of my actions and I know when I need to speak up in certain situations, though I find it unnecessary to remind a worker of this. I actually had someone who I was shadowing insult my personality because they were polar opposite to who I was, poking fun of me for this fact. Through the negative, comes positive and I have had coworkers, and friends who appreciate my calm demeanor and say it's a compliment to us ['us' being myself, and the coworker or friend] within the relationship established. 

I want to highlight some of the 18 struggles I found hilarious and frighteningly true:  

1. You’re not anti-social, you’re selectively social.
I have said this comment for years. I am not anti-social, I just choose who I interact with. If I don't have a good feeling about you, or we have little in common, I am more likely to not initiate a conversation with you. Trust me, it's in both of our favours. 

2. At any given point, you have one (maybe two) best friends who are your entire life.  You’re not a “group of friends” person. You can’t keep up with all that.

Groups stress me out, yet I can manage well with group work. Having a large group of friends gives me pressure to managing my friends -- we also have that one friend who you either get along really well with, or not at all. 

9. You retain an air of mysteriousness about you, completely unintentionally. (There’s no mystery. You just feel no need to update the social sphere on what’s going on in your life every two hours.)
Every other guy I meet, always indicate how mysterious I am. When followed with a "how?", they can never pin point exactly what makes me so mysterious. I guess it may have to do with my inability to open up entirely to people when I meet you for the first time. 

12. You’ve never really understood the whole “introvert vs. extrovert” dichotomy (can we call it that?) Because you’re… both…
Believe me, I have days where I am an introvert or extrovert - it all depends on my day and how I am feeling. Though I can never explain exactly why I am feel more than another, it just happens; so I apologize if we hang out and I talk less than we did yesterday. 

18. It’s taken you years to figure out that you’re shy. Literal years. And when you tell people, even your closest family members, that you’re “actually just shy” they pause, and then their eyes go big, and they go: “Oh my god you so are.”
I have had many moments in my life where I try to figure out exactly who I am. Am I really shy, or do I not just feel like talking? It can be complicated the more you think about it, but less complicated the less you think about it. If you're quiet-er, own it and embrace everything in your personality that makes you, you!

Side note: I do not want you to think everyone has their individuality set out based on if they are introverted or extroverted. They're not. We are all unique in a variety of way, for example, our experiences, culture, lifestyle, and how we are raised. Being more introverted, and less extroverted (or vice versa) does not and should not define you, but more or less give you an idea as to determine your level of comfort when in large or small groups.