Perks of being an Ambivert!

For the longest time I thought I was an introvert. Someone who keeps to myself and constantly has a running monologue in my head, which I do. However at random times in my life, I had extroverted tendencies to speak my mind and take risks. I was confused at how I seemed introverted yet had those extroverted tendencies. I finally found the description of my dilemma, I am an ambivert. An ambivert is a blended balance of both introverted and extroverted personality traits. Most of society believes that in order to be socially successful you need to be an extrovert. If not, you're an outcast, a silent weirdo who has no social interactions ever. Well, what about those who can't comfortably speak to random strangers or feel the need to express our lives to everyone publicly? Introverts have been very much misunderstood, when in actuality introverts are very creative and intelligent people. As with the introverts, ambiverts are misunderstood and can be seen as a bipolar personality. To one group you're outgoing, to another you're a confident quiet type. For me, I lean towards the more introverted side of my personality when it comes to interacting with new people and a new environment. 

I have a few very close, tight-knit friends who I can trust everything with. I do have many other friends and acquaintances who I try to communicate with as best I can. Personally, as with introverts, I hate small talk, anything to spark a conversation I am terrible at, which I've known since I was young. However, if the person I am speaking with continues the conversation, I am much more likely to talk with them comfortably. This blend of extrovert/introvert gives me an advantage as I can easily switch from one side to the other as the situation sees fit. 

It does, however, have its downsides, as when I am in a group setting for a long period of time and my energy has drained but I can't get away without seeming rude. Or when I'm at home all day alone and my energy is back but I have nothing to do to use it. Being ambivert allows me the advantages of both sides, I can easily make friends, but only if I see it as a potentially good friendship. Otherwise I stay clear of people I don't want to hang out with. Other times, if I want to be friends with someone, I can't find the courage or energy to pursue that relationship, and as with most introverts, have to endure myself re-evaluating that situation and criticizing how I could have done something better. 

To get a better clue as to what I mean, here are a few details from a article by Diplateevo, to enlighten you on the subject:

• Ambiverts sit on the spectrum of social interaction right in between the introverts and extroverts. Ambiverts love spending time with people, but get tired after spending too much time around people. Ambiverts are also very capable of doing things alone, but spending an entire day alone can suck them into a depressed, unproductive mood.
• Ambiverts love interacting with people, but in a very purposeful way. Ambiverts can have extremely animated and interactive conversations, or mellow and meditative ones. Ambiverts will defend both their personal time as well as their social time.
• Ambiverts process information best when they process internally and externally. Ambiverts need time and space to process things on their own, but they also need people who they can trust to process things with externally. In order for ambiverts to fully process information, they usually need both.
• Ambiverts seek breadth of knowledge and influence, but dive deep when they are truly passionate. Ambiverts can be thought or action oriented, depending on the situation, but they are also oftentimes both.The challenge for ambiverts is finding one thing to stick with. Because ambiverts do well socially and individually, it’s easy for an ambivert to become the jack of all trades, having knowledge in many different areas but not necessarily an expert an any of them.
• Ambiverts tend to do well adapting to any situation that they are placed in, whether it be a loud social scene or a secluded environment. ( http://diplateevo.com/?s=ambivert )

As with most things, I need to work on approaching something new, whether it be a person, activity or place. All of us are flawed and I know that even with this ambivert personality, I need to work on blending myself into one person and not different halves of myself with different people. We all have things to work on and to continuously improve ourselves.