I guess a "theme song" for shy people could be "The Sounds of Silence" by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Shy people like myself, and many others who may have similar personality traits like me, have looked at certain aspects of life in a unique way. I observe the environment around me. It’s the little things in life I appreciate about people and what makes a certain person that person of which traits I can identify someone with a specific trait. I sometimes get asked if I’m OK because I may not be fitting in with the "herd" or I don’t show emotion, but I may simply respond by saying that I’m a reserved person and watch out for everyone. I look at the big picture but find tiny details at the same time. I “think differently” as one person I heard say. So what things in life do I, as a shy person, observe you might ask? Well my friends, you are reading the right article:

1. Education and School

Ah yes, the road to acquiring intelligence needed to succeed in life. School can be an interesting experience for those who are shy. It wasn’t any different for me. I was quiet in the classroom, not knowing what to say or how to interact with the fellow students. I understood most of the information I was fed and understood why the information was important. I just couldn’t clearly put it into words whenever I was called on. Everyone else took notice of how I wasn’t fitting in when it came to class discussions or how I wasn’t able to form sentences properly (when I was a toddler). It took time for others to realize that I was thinking differently and was reserved about saying something. Even teachers told my parents on numerous occasions that “you’re son is very quiet” at the good ol’ parent-teacher conferences. My parents knew my story, so they weren’t surprised. Of course education is important, but one doesn’t have to talk all the time to understand something. It could be the case, it may be not.

2. Social Life/Friends

This subject area is a classic example of shyness. I felt uncomfortable around people because I didn’t know how they thought or what they thought of me. To an extent, yes, I eventually understood that the only thing that mattered when it came to my well-being was me; I am me and you are you. It’s great to have people coming up to me and complimenting me on my work and appreciating the positive contributions I give to others. I love that. However, if it’s negative in any way shape or form, I feel like humbling down and feeling guilty. The college life was a massive jump for me when it came to hearing about parties, and even thinking about going to them. I immediately stood out because I do not drink or do any other drug because I have my reasons. I would observe how other people were acting at parties and why they may be doing so. And if there was trouble, I’d do anything I could to help. The thing was that besides the negative aspects of the college night life, joining a fraternity which was something I never thought I’d do, but it actually improved my social life drastically for the better and I will say that an achievement like this was something I’d never regret looking back.

3. Nuisances

Believe me, we all have them. There are two things that I cannot stand in this world: pure ignorance and stupidity. Ignorance is self-explanatory: not caring about what’s happening around you and in the world in general. In fact, I consider that extremely rude to those who actually care about others and want to make everyone’s lives a little bit easier including your own. It's an insult to everyone else. The a**holes of the world. You know them. Stupidity? Stay in school, read a book, exercise, get a job, the usual. In other words, when making a life decision, have something called common sense. You either have it or you don’t. I’d love to have that taught in schools. Believe me when I say this, there’s a lot more people out there who need it. It’s pretty easy to tell who has common sense than to those who don’t.

4. Jobs/Career

If you have a good education, you can get a decent job that the world can offer. The possibilities seem to be endless, but with this economy and the job market, it can be limited unfortunately. Once you do have a job, start talking to your fellow co-workers and see where they came from, maybe they were shy just like you growing up and they got out of that shell. The shell is tough to crack, but there are things to help break out of it and this is one of them. Once the money starts to pour in, it’s time to settle down somewhere and hopefully with a special someone.

5. Romance

Yes, I did just go there. I purposely left this one last because this is the subject I can write and think about the most and this is where my shyness really comes into play. Ever since my years in middle school, I started to have romantic feelings and thoughts for girls. We all know that phase in our lives: puberty. Shy kids would probably find this phase a challenging one, and maybe for their whole lives. I didn’t understand it at first or what to do when faced with these feelings. I turned to love songs to give me an understanding. As it turned out, love songs were awesome. I still listen to them whenever I think of that special someone you wish to hold in your arms that one day and kiss them until they fall asleep, with them knowing they are safe with you by their side even if it's just a dream and it doesn't happen. I don't exactly know how to express these feelings of love. Let me put it to you with this analogy: Isaac Newton discovered gravity’s power and calculated it with a formula (F=ma, go him). Newton however, could not figure out how exactly gravity worked. Einstein later came along and figured it out. I, like Newton, have felt the power of love, but I am in between Newton and Einstein figuring out what love actually is and how it works. Einstein even once said that “gravity is not responsible for people falling in love,” so there's a start. I also know that you can't hurry love either and that there is no equation for love. I also observed other relationships around me and must say that in my thinking, we have these feelings for two reasons: biologically (puberty) and spiritually, something that we cannot control and that spiritual feeling is something not just a shy man like myself feels, but something we all feel when faced with the one we love. Sometimes the words just don’t come out right or not at all, but when they do, it can lead to the happiness we all dreamed about in our dreams.

Overall, there is nothing wrong with being shy. It can be a unique and useful trait and may be mysterious to those who wonder how we think. Breaking out of that shell is a personal challenge for those who are shy. I’ve felt like I am starting to break out of that shell every day a little bit at a time. If I can do it, you can too. You just have to "think differently."