Happiness?

Assalamualaikum!

I don't know really know why I'm suddenly bringing up this topic but I just need to bring it up! To all my fellow introverted friends out there~

Truthfully, I don't really believe this introvert and extrovert thing cause I think we both have a little inside us and some are true, some aren't. But if I had to say which one I was, I'd say I'm an introvert. I saw the characteristics of an introvert and it fit me perfectly.

I was kinda sad during my Form 1 and Form 2 year, I didn't have many friends...I'm quiet. My parents thought I had a problem and because at the time I had no idea about introverts and extroverts, I always thought I had a problem.

I also thought that I was unhappy cause I wasn't like everybody else, everybody had huge group of friends and they're loud and happy. People thought I was a loner and so did I. BTW, all my friends are introverts, we don't talk as much as they do and sometimes when we're together we don't even talk! 

One day, I had a new friend. She was an extrovert. She was different. She's my only extrovert friend. I'm always jealous of extroverts cause they always look so happy. My friend would encourage me to interact with others and join her group but I didn't understand why then, but I would always say no, and always felt uncomfortable in being in a large group. Which was ironic, cause I always complain that I don't have enough friends and can't get into conversations but when I'm invited to one , I don't want it?

My problem was I defined my happiness on what people thought what happy was. Based on the world's definition of happiness, which was having lots of friends... but maybe I didn't need to be happy by having a lot of friends and ever since then I was happy. Truly.

And you know I realized, feeling lonely is not when you are alone. Introverts sometimes like being alone, we feel at peace and we need to recharge by being alone. But lonely is when you are ignored.

 From, The shy introvert.