The minds of introverts are full of questions about how people will perceive them. It is also why they may keep shunning people away – to avoid the exhaustion that comes with social interactions.
How do we know that?
Because we have been there ourselves. We understand how it feels to be shy, stressed, and overall clueless about taking the first step toward improvement.
We have spent years looking up to extroverted people who could make friends, meet new people, and find their perfect social circle effortlessly.
In this article, we will be sharing the exact mindsets and strategies that have helped us learn how to be more outgoing. By the end of it, you will have a clear understanding of where to start and how to improve.
Let’s get started right away.
Is Being an Introvert a Bad Thing?
Not at all!
Introverts have to carry a somewhat negative social label because of their personality type. The general understanding of this trait is skewed and leads to many stereotypes.
You do not have to feel bad about not being naturally outgoing and social. You must instead appreciate yourself for who you are.
After all, there are many great things about being an introvert:
- You are probably independent and know how to take advantage of your alone time without feeling lonely.
- You make decisions carefully and deliberately because you spend a lot of time thinking and introspecting.
- You have a few great friends you trust because you value quality over quantity when it comes to social interactions.
That sounds great! Why should you go out of your comfort zone then and worry about being more outgoing?
Because introversion also carries quite a few drawbacks, such as:
- struggling to meet new people and make friends,
- leaving a bad first impression,
- being labeled as boring because people will misunderstand you,
- finding it harder to bond with others and trust them,
- a chance of being overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings.
Building and nurturing relationships with the right people in our lives is crucial for our happiness and success, whatever that may be for you. Appearing socially awkward in situations where you wish to act differently and have a chance to bond with these people can become a big frustration.
Let’s see how you can avoid that by working on your mindset and social skills!
Shift Your Mindset
First, we are going to go over a few crucial mindset changes that you should start working on today.
#1 – It is okay to be insecure.
Often, we fail to accept our insecurities. We all know the feeling of self-doubt and the weird way it twists our stomachs.
However, the truth is – even the most confident among us have many deeply rooted insecurities. They are just good at accepting them.
Research shows that over 40% of people identify themselves as shy! Almost every other person you walk by on the street thinks they are shy and struggle with social interactions.
Now, that is some eye-opening statistics!
What we are trying to say here is: it is perfectly reasonable and common to be insecure about various parts of your personality. The important thing is that you do not allow your insecurities to define you.
What can you do?
- Focus on your strengths. Write a long list of your accomplishments, favorite personality traits, and everything you are good at. Put it up on the value and remind yourself of how great you are every day.
- Work on yourself. Exercise daily, read quality books, eat healthy food, take morning walks, set goals and achieve them. Do whatever you can do to become a better version of yourself.
- Own your flaws. Understanding that everyone has flaws is the first step. The second step is embracing your own and working on being comfortable with every part of your personality. Nobody is perfect, and you don’t have to be either!
#2 – You can become a confident person.
Confidence is a skill, just like many other personality traits. That means you can learn it and develop high self-esteem over time.
Does it take a lot of work?
Yes, it does.
Nevertheless, your first step needs to be to develop the proper mindset. If you have never viewed yourself as a confident person before, now is the time to do so!
What can you do?
Once you can picture a version of yourself that is self-assured and comfortable in your skin, you can begin working on bringing that version into life.
We can’t tell you how to be confident in a sentence or two in this article, but you can read everything about confidence in the special section on our blog dedicated to it:
#3 – It pays out to show genuine interest in others.
Many introverts are incredibly interesting people. The only issue is that they keep their fun and interesting side concealed, which is why people may think they are boring.
In those cases, you would love nothing more than to get an opportunity to show how fun you are! You just never get the chance to do so.
As it turns out – other people (not only introverts) feel the same way. We would all love for others to shower us with attention from time to time. We would love to tell someone about our day, about that great thing we did last weekend, and a bunch of other stuff.
However, since everyone is so occupied with themselves, they never ask us about it. You are probably making the same mistake over and over again.
Do you see where we are going with this?
Showing genuine interest and being curious to know more about the other person can be the only thing you need to do to connect with them instantly. Not only that, it can help you forget about your social anxiety since you take the focus away from yourself.
What can you do?
- Start listening carefully. Instead of thinking about what to say next, focus entirely on what the other person is saying and let the conversation flow naturally.
- Ask questions. The main issue with introverts is that they dislike being the center of attention. So if you do not like to have so much attention to yourself, ask other people questions. Let them speak about themselves, which most people want to do anyway. It’s a win-win situation!
- Understand the enthusiasm. If someone is trying to talk to you about a topic they are passionate about, don’t try to shorten the conversation. It makes people feel ignored and unimportant. Even if you don’t care about the topic, show that you care about them and that you appreciate their enthusiasm about it.
How to Be More Outgoing – Taking Action
Once your mindset has improved and you are showing a real desire to change your behavior patterns, you will want to hear some actionable advice.
What can you start doing to become a more outgoing person today?
#1 – Socialize with more people.
As with everything in life, to get better at something – you need to do it as often as possible. It is that simple!
We understand how hard it is to go out there and start talking to people, but the truth is: there is no other way to become a fun, outgoing person. It will require you to step out of your comfort bubble and take action.
Do not hold yourself back when it comes to conversations. It is not a bad idea to go overboard for a few weeks and become the most talkative person you can be.
Keep pushing yourself and taking part in as many social interactions as you can handle in one day.
#2 – Work on your communication skills.
Being more outgoing is not as difficult when you are confident in your communication skills.
Most of the time, we are uncomfortable doing things that we know we are not good at. It’s in our nature to avoid things that may cause us embarrassment.
The same is true when it comes to social interactions. By applying the previous tip, you will become more comfortable with socializing over time.
Keep in mind that one-word responses are not going to make the conversations last long. Feel free to let yourself loose and elaborate on your answers.
Remember that short responses are your worst enemy.
You also need to pay attention to your body language and make sure that you are communicating that you are open and welcoming:
- Uncross your arms.
- Lift your head up, and feel free to smile.
- Greet other people with a bit more excitement.
- Keep a bit wider stance than you usually would.
- Put your shoulders down and push your chest up slightly.
- Learn how to walk with confidence.
#3 – Bring more energy into conversations.
The issue many introverts struggle with is the lack of energy they bring into all social interactions.
Naturally, when you want to avoid being the center of attention or embarrassing yourself, you try to keep low. The best way to do that is to keep your head down, talk less, and get out of there as soon as possible.
You can easily see how that is the opposite of everything we are trying to recommend you do.
Being a more energetic, lively person will instantly make you appear much more approachable and outgoing.
Here are a few things you can do:
- Make a conscious decision that you will be more energetic. Once again, it all starts with your mindset.
- Stop speaking in a monotone manner. Let your tone rise and drop, use your hands while you talk, pause to highlight the important points.
- Allow your facial expressions to become a part of the conversation. Don’t keep a straight face at all times. Laugh, be surprised, and actively engage in each conversation.
#4 – Accept invitations to social events.
If you are an introvert, you probably don’t accept invitations to parties and other social activities all that often. You may have even noticed that people have stopped inviting you to go out since you always decline anyway.
The truth is – you never know when you are going to have a great time. The worst possible scenario is that you find the event boring and you leave early.
Socializing more frequently in various environments is the fastest way to overcome any social anxiety you may be dealing with now.
#5 – Maintain your current friendships.
Meeting new people does not mean that you should forget about your existing friends. Quite the opposite – spending more time with them is a great opportunity to work on your communication skills.
Here is an obvious tip that most people don’t do for some reason:
Be the one to invite your friends out first!
You can’t expect to sit at home and wait around while your social life improves on its own. You need to take action, and the easiest way to do that is to invite your friends out and spend time with them.
If you find meeting new people intimidating, warming yourself up surrounded by familiar faces will help you out immensely. The more you go out, the easier it will be.
If you are struggling to come up with things to invite your friends to, try picking up one of the social hobbies from our list.
Your Turn
Hopefully, the article was helpful for you to discover some areas that you need to work on.
Now that you know what to do, we would like to hear from you.
Which thing do you struggle with the most as an introvert?
Let us know by leaving a comment down below!
