I am an introvert. I have been an introvert all of my life, and I don't think that I will ever be an extrovert, ever. And as an introvert, I am so brokenhearted how much we are shamed and misunderstood by society. I get tired of hearing that introverts are quiet and shy and antisocial; that we all own a cat, hide in blanket forts, and never leave the house. Because that's simply just not true.

Before we go any further, let's get something straight: the definition of being and introvert is this, "I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I'll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing."

We are still human beings and we still need to feel connected with other people, just not with as many people. We prefer quiet environments and hanging out with a group usually means about one to three people, and we think a lot. But that doesn't mean that we are any less human than the extrovert we pass on the street.

About 50 percent of the population are introverts — that means that about half of the people you know (which could include yourself) prefer to be in smaller groups and get their energy from being alone. So why do we (particularly Americans) see introversion as weakness or a bad thing?

America has adopted an extrovert ideal — we see the ideal person that is living life to the fullest as someone who has a lot of friends, has a busy and well-round social life, and has strong public speaking skills. They see introverts as the lesser human race, but introverts can be just as valuable as extroverts. We are seen as the more creative types, less of risk, and more introspective which are all valuable traits as a leader — this is not to say that extroverts are not good leaders — but introverts can be good leaders, fantastic public speakers and valuable friends just like extroverts (read more about this in Susan Cain's book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts).

All of this to say:

Extroverts, please stop shaming introverts. We are just as important as you, and we should not be punished for the way that we get our energy. Please don't call us shy or antisocial. We just take a little more time to warm up to a new person, and sometimes we think so much about a response to a conversation and the subject has changed before we say it. Sometimes it takes us a little while to process everything, but if you're patient, we might just say something really important or interesting to the conversation.

And my dear introvert souls, it is okay to be the way you are. You process things more fully and just can't take in as much as extroverts in such a short amount of time — take your time to process things at your own pace. You are not anything less than the extroverts, you are just different and do things differently — we need that diversity! But don't be afraid to act like an extrovert for a short amount of time — sometimes you need that little jolt of excitement! And lastly, you probably know more introverts than you think you do. Hang in there introvert friends! You are doing just fine, and please don't feel ashamed about being different!