From elementary school to high school, and even in college, the label of the “shy girl” has always stuck with me.

Even though my friends might laugh at this statement since they usually see the sarcastic, talkative side of me, I’m still an introvert at heart. I always have been and always will be, which is totally fine with me. This aspect of my personality used to cause me a lot of insecurity, but I’m finally learning to own it.

For as long as I can remember, shyness has always been used as a negative term. More often than not, shy people are expected to be sad, lonely and even miserable.

When I was young, it always seemed to me that extroverts had it easy. Everyone loved them. They got all the attention and were always surrounded by massive groups of people. I spent years being jealous of these people and wondering why I couldn’t be like that.

Eventually, something dawned on me. I understood why I wasn’t like the cool, outgoing people I envied; I didn’t want to be like them. That just isn’t me. It took me far too long to realize I actually liked being shy.

Throughout the last couple of years, I have become a lot more comfortable with my introverted self, and I now see that being shy actually has a lot of benefits.

According to an article on About.com, shy people generally form deeper friendships. Any introvert can agree that making friends is not an easy feat. I know this from experience.

Since forming friendships is such a challenge, introverts like myself usually don’t waste their time on futile friendships. Opening up to another person is pretty nerve wracking, at least for me, so I only put myself out there when I know it will be worth it.

With that being said, I don’t exactly have a huge amount of people I can call my friends. But what I do have is a small, close-knit friend group who I know will always have my back. I don’t waste my time opening up to people I know aren’t going to become true friends; it just isn’t worth the struggle.

An article from Psych Central explains how introversion may occasionally be an asset over extroversion. Introverts tend to be better listeners and are more equipped to maintain a calm, restrained composure in stressful situations. Many workplaces value introverted employees due to their ability to be self-sufficient.

“As an introvert you may find you have a greater appreciation of subtlety and understatement — talents that, when harnessed, can become great strengths,” according to Psych Central.

I am not speaking for all introverts when I say this, since everyone has different experiences, but time has taught me to appreciate my introverted personality. I now realize the strengths I have from living life as the “shy girl.”

There is nothing wrong with being an extrovert, it’s just not who I am. Nor will it ever be. I would much rather pass the time reading alone in solace rather than juggling a huge group of people. Maybe that makes me sound a little weird but, in the end, that’s who I am.