It's a well known fact that I'm typically a shy person, but what isn't well known is that I can be an outgoing person too. I'm an introverted extrovert. I love people and being social with friends, but I also love spending time alone just as much. While most people usually consider introverts and extroverts to be on two separate ends of the spectrum, the truth is that there are quite a few people who fall in the middle. I am one of those people.

Upon first meeting me, I'm really reserved. I talk but not a whole lot. Mainly I just listen and observe and whoever I'm talking to most likely has to keep the conversation going. It's not because I'm uninterested or that I don't like someone. It's because I'm only outgoing with people that I know and am comfortable with. When I'm comfortable with someone, I can talk their ear off and keep going until they tell me I need to stop. I'm a major goofball. It just takes me awhile to warm up to people and become my extroverted self. And when I do, I'm a blast. Well, at least I think so.

I love being invited to social events and hanging out with friends, but that doesn't mean that I always want to go. The introvert part of me just doesn't feel like it. Sometimes being around others doesn't sound as appealing as staying home and reading a book or watching Netflix. I need time to myself to relax and focus on my own interests, even if a party does sound really fun. I have to have some sort of down time every now and then to recharge my batteries because even though I like being socially active, too much of it just drains me.

Sometimes when I'm out in public I really want to be the one to start a conversation with a stranger and introduce myself, but I'm a shy person. One of my talents is keeping to myself and doing my own thing. Doing anything opposite that is a bit out of my comfort zone. That doesn't mean I'm not willing to try though. If someone engages me in a conversation then I will gladly be a part of it. My extroverted self loves it. The difficulty for me is being the one to initiate the talk and then keep it going.

I love people and being around friends who I know and who know me, but no matter how many opportunities I'm given to take the lead and speak to someone new, I'm always going to be a little shy. It's part of who I am, but so is that person who wants to be involved and wants to be part of a group. That's me too. Finding a balance is hard, but I'm glad that I'm an introverted extrovert. It's like I'm living the best of both worlds.