WEBVTT

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

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

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write a TED Talk, share my ideas,

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talk in front of such
a large group of people.

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

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Or maybe, "She probably
gets nervous easily."

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

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To answer simply, I am an introvert.

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So what is an introvert?

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

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and likes to keep their thoughts
mostly to themselves.

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

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

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

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

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So the main thing
I want to address in this talk

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

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

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

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and that everyone
should want to be extroverted.

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

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

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participate in class or we lose marks.

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

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

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I was told to share my voice
whenever possible.

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

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

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

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

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No big deal.

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Slight problem, I never wrote a talk.

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

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

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I would show up to every meeting

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and watch my peers continue
to develop their talks

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and I would get frustrated with myself.

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

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Now, looking back,
I realize I have passions,

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I have views on the world
and I have opinions.

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

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But is there anything wrong with that?

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

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

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that they need to change who they are

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

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Keep in mind,

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within this large group of introverts
are people such as:

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

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and so many more
incredible, inspiring people.

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

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from achieving their goals
or being happy?

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No.

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

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

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But what about every leader
needs a follower?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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All incredible inspirational leaders
and all introverts.

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In a business setting,

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

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

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Well, guess what?

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These companies are missing out.

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Introverts are known
to be versatile, responsible,

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work well in small groups
and individually.

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So being an introvert
has no effect on how happy

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or how successful you are going to be

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as long as you see it
in the right lighting.

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If you see yourself as an introvert

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

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you're never going to be
truly happy with yourself

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

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

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there's nothing in the way

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of you achieving your goals
and getting what you want.

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

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No matter what society may say,

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

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

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

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by Susan Cain.

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

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

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

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who doesn't participate very much,

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I want you to think,

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

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Thank you.

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(Applause)