I'm here today
trying to be something I'm not.

Which is something I've been
trying to do for two years now:

write a TED Talk, share my ideas,

talk in front of such
a large group of people.

I know a lot of you are probably thinking,
"She sounds a bit shy."

Or maybe, "She probably
gets nervous easily."

Yeah, all those things
are 100% true, but why?

To answer simply, I am an introvert.

So what is an introvert?

An introvert is a quiet person
that doesn't like to talk very much

and likes to keep their thoughts
mostly to themselves.

They're the kind of person that goes home
just to relax and have time to think.

But that's not to say that an outgoing
person can't be an introvert.

Just as long as they enjoy the quiet time
to get to themselves,

they're most likely an introvert
to a certain extent.

So the main thing
I want to address in this talk

is that there's nothing wrong
with being an introvert.

However society doesn't see it
in the same lighting.

Society has taught us that being
an introvert is the worst thing you can be

and that everyone
should want to be extroverted.

We're told that being outgoing is good
and being shy and quiet is bad.

We're told in elementary school
we have to raise our hands,

participate in class or we lose marks.

Every year at parent-teacher interviews,
my parents would hear the same thing,

"Your daughter is very shy,
she needs to learn to speak up more."

I was told to share my voice
whenever possible.

As an introvert, those are
some very hard standards to achieve.

This is why I joined
the TED Ed Club two years ago -

to prove to not only myself
but to everyone that I wasn't shy.

I could write a talk
just like everyone else is doing it.

No big deal.

Slight problem, I never wrote a talk.

I couldn't come up with a topic
I was truly passionate about

that I felt like I wanted
to share with the world.

I would show up to every meeting

and watch my peers continue
to develop their talks

and I would get frustrated with myself.

Why could they share their ideas so easily
and I couldn't even come up with a topic?

Now, looking back,
I realize I have passions,

I have views on the world
and I have opinions.

I just didn't want to share any of them
because I'm an introvert.

But is there anything wrong with that?

Statistics say that 50% of the American
population is made up of introverts.

So society is telling 50% of Americans
- about 160 million people -

that they need to change who they are

to be accepted,
to be successful and to be happy.

Keep in mind,

within this large group of introverts
are people such as:

Elton John, Emma Watson, Michael Jordan,
Audrey Hepburn, Albert Einstein,

and so many more
incredible, inspiring people.

Do you think being an introvert
has ever stopped any of them

from achieving their goals
or being happy?

No.

A lot of you have probably been told
something along the lines

of why be a follower
when you can be a leader.

But what about every leader
needs a follower?

Let's look at Mr. Justin Trudeau,
Prime Minister of Canada.

Do you think he'd be where he is today
without the support of the people?

If everyone was trying to be a leader
no one would truly succeed

as it's the followers
that define a true leader.

But that's not to say that an introvert
can't be a leader.

Let's look at Abraham Lincoln,
Rosa Parks and Gandhi.

All incredible inspirational leaders
and all introverts.

In a business setting,

the CEO of a company
will look at an introvert and say,

"If they're not going to share their ideas
they are useless to me."

Well, guess what?

These companies are missing out.

Introverts are known
to be versatile, responsible,

work well in small groups
and individually.

So being an introvert
has no effect on how happy

or how successful you are going to be

as long as you see it
in the right lighting.

If you see yourself as an introvert

and think it's the worst
thing in the world,

you're never going to be
truly happy with yourself

and you're going to constantly try
to change to conform to society.

But if you accept yourself
as an introvert and you're happy,

there's nothing in the way

of you achieving your goals
and getting what you want.

All in all, there is absolutely
nothing wrong with being an introvert.

No matter what society may say,

you don't need to change who you are
because being an introvert is great.

Before I leave, I want to end
with a quote from the book "Quiet,

The power of introverts
in a world that can't stop talking"

by Susan Cain.

"The secret to life is to put yourself
in the right lighting.

For some, it's a Broadway spotlight;
for others, it's a lamplit desk."

So the next time you see
that quiet kid in the back of the class

who doesn't participate very much,

I want you to think,

"I wonder what great things
they're going to come up with next."

Thank you.

(Applause)