So many shy people (I know, I was one of them) often assume that something is wrong with them because they're not "look at me" types. If you are a highly sensitive person as the majority of shy people, your brain functions differently from an extrovert's. You think more deeply. It takes you longer to process information. You try to listen carefully and usually speak more slowly.

Americans listen to outrageous radio and television personalities. We elect outgoing politicians. We listen to extreme rock bands, adore scantily clad show-off girls, and flock in droves to theaters to see bigger-than-life movie stars–and then stay up half the night to see them again on the Oscars.

Regrettably, our Western world does not recognize or reward introvert qualities as much it does extrovert. As a result, some “Shys” assume they are not as smart or as talented as the “Sures.” Stop! Wrong way! Go back! Countless studies have blasted the myth about shyness indicating stupidity. In many cases, in fact, it's just the opposite.

The majority of gifted children (60 percent) are introverts. In studies of intelligence, the higher the IQ, the higher the percentage of introverts. A greater number of National Merit Scholars are introverted than extroverted, and they get higher grades in Ivy League colleges.

            What this says is this: Value your God-given qualities and don't let anyone make you feel inferior because you don't like to sit around with the gang and chew the fat or to leap into conversations before you've thought things through. Even extremely confident highly sensitive people take longer to process their thoughts. Give deserved worth to your inner world and become comfortable with your quieter qualities.