I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of personality tests. I will always find an excuse to waste time on websites like BuzzFeed Quizzes or uQuiz to figure things out about myself such as what Taylor Swift song matches my vibe. Despite spending probably way too much time doing them, I never take them seriously — it is all simply for fun.
At the same time, I hate to take labels such as being an introvert or extrovert too seriously. I think a person and their personality is much more than just one category they are referred to as. You may be thinking that this perspective contradicts the title of this piece. However, I would beg to differ — I write this with the goal to share how one’s personality is a spectrum.
When I think of my personality, my mind goes to the type of child I was — I think about the stories my parents tell me about how I would befriend any and all people I would meet. Whether it was an elderly man in line at the grocery store or a new student on my school bus, I would connect with strangers immediately.
This lasted well up until I began middle school and I had a rather rapid shift from this extroverted personality to an introverted one. Up until my second year of college, I think I was predominantly introverted as I tended to stick to myself or the small groups I found myself a part of.
Since then, I have felt as though I have been on this slow journey toward becoming more extroverted. This past summer, I felt myself shift even more into an extrovert as I found myself working and living with hundreds of people I had never met before as a camp nurse. I forced myself to take risks and escaped my usual comfort zone.
As a fourth-year, I have been trying to keep up this pace — I have been saying yes to things and fully immersing myself in all that has been coming my way. With that being said, I feel more extroverted than I have ever before. I have not only been seeking out new friendships and experiences but I have also really been enjoying them. While I love and treasure my own company, I have also been finding myself wanting to be around people more.
This feels really different from the person I usually am. In fact, even my friends and family have pointed out this personality shift of mine recently. It has all been said to me positively — they have been applauding me for my newfound love of spontaneity and ability to have fun, as this is something I have struggled with greatly previously.
For me, my introverted personality often was intertwined with my tendency to take myself — and things generally — too seriously. As I have begun to let go of that seriousness and mentality, I think this has allowed me to become more outgoing like a traditional extrovert. This is not to say that being an introvert is less of a fun experience, it is simply a different one. Furthermore, I value my introverted personality just as much as I value my new extroverted self — just in different ways.
With that being said, I would currently call myself an extrovert. I am not sure how long I will be on this side of what I referred to earlier as my personality spectrum. However, I have a feeling I will enjoy this version of myself just as much as I enjoyed my introverted personality.
At the end of the day, the concept of being an introvert or extrovert is simply just a label. People are so much more than labels and so when it comes down to it, none of this really matters. I just think it’s just fun to see the various ways you can describe yourself.
Zoya Zahid is a Life Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at life@cavalierdaily.com.
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