If you ask me “Given a chance, whom do you want to be, Linus Torvalds (creator of the Linux kernel)” or a flamboyant, media savvy guys like Richard Branson or Vijay Mallya or ambitious multimillionaires like Laksmi Mittal, I would say I would like to be a person in the second category - a person who likes media attention, a person who prefer to be in limelight. If I look into profiles of guys in the social networking sites in Internet, most of the people claim themselves to be extrovert, outgoing, so and so. I have never seen a profile, which claims that a person is an introvert. Why is it so? Studies show that 30% of the total number humans are introverts. That means 1 out of every 3rd person is an introvert. May be introverts preferred to stay away from Internet too? (Which, I disagree)
I decided to do a small research on famous introverts. Result was staggering. Many famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Charles Darwin, Jacqueline Kennedy, Michael Jordan, Carl Jung, Katherine Hepburn, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sir Isaac Newton, Jane Goodall, Marie Curie, Mother Teresa, William Shakespeare, Mozart were a few among them. I don’t know whether they wanted to call themselves introverts. There was a line in one of the site, which struck me “Introverts' contributions to society far exceed their numbers. Estimated to be a mere 30% of the population, many of these people have changed our lives inestimably.” That is apparent from the list itself.
I was eager to find out where I belong. Am I an introvert? There were many Internet sites that claimed to determine whether you are introvert or not. And I decided to take one. There were some 100 questions on various topics and I answered them as sincerely as possible. Result placed me somewhere in the middle. I have 40% qualities of extroverts and 60% introverts. I think they are right. I am neither introvert nor extrovert but am closer to introverts than extroverts. I don’t have any problem spending time for myself. I prefer to play with my nieces than going out for a movie. I hate to hear extravagant flattery. I prefer to be with my family than going out for a party. When it comes to a social environment, I find myself acting, faking a smile on my face. Most of the time I find myself lost in those parties.
That led me to the question, why I want to call myself an extrovert when I possess many qualities of an introvert? In life you go through many faces. There was period in my life where I tried to impress others. There was a period where I tried to project myself as more than what I am. I don’t do that anymore, rather I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to be what I am. I want to be happy with what I have. I am a guy having many introvert attributes.
