※ 아래 스크립트는 발표자의 발표내용을 그대로 표기하였으므로 구어체 표현이 포함되어있고,
Hello, everybody. I'm here today because I was given the opportunity and all that to kind of necessity-necessarily talk about myself. But before I begin, let's think about somebody else. Think of the most socially awkward person that you know. Well, whoever you’re thinking of now, I guarantee you I used to be worse than that one, and to be honest, I still am. The only difference is I’m no longer ashamed of it. Being a shy and timid guy has been a stigma for me for the last 20 years. I didn’t know how to socialize with people, nor did I have many friends who I could learn from. I was scared of people, which in turn led to less and less talking. And you can clearly see how it could trap me in a vicious circle. In retrospect, one of the ideas that haunted me the most was the shame of being an introvert. For all those years, I’d been keeping myself in denial of identity, my own colors. Once I realized it, however, I was able to make peace with my personality. Little by little, I started figuring out my own way of dealing with my life as an introvert, by quitting being a people pleaser and finding my passion.
The fact that I don't have to please everyone I meet is perhaps one of the most valuable lessons I've learned as an introvert. In high school, in an attempt to satisfy all the teachers, I tried desperately to become a model student. I was obsessed with high grades and occasional praises from them. But once I graduated, there were no teachers in my life—only people. Naturally, my first instinct was to please everyone I interacted with. The goal was impossible to reach and I used to get infuriated at myself. And then, one day I directed the fury outward and had a huge fight with a so-called friend of mine who was a little bit toxic and a little bit manipulative, now that I think about it. It was embarrassing to raise my voice but, at the same time, I felt liberated from bottling up the frustration and self-blame, with a hint of catharsis. I lost contact with him, by the way, which was worth it because at such a high price, now I’ve learned I don’t have to please everyone every time. Now I can be myself and feel more comfortable and confident around people. I no longer have to put up a façade and invent a persona. I can stand up for myself when somebody tries to take advantage of my kindness. And most importantly, now I can focus on the people that appreciate me.
Now, although I stopped caring about some random people’s feelings, I still had to make good company for those I treasured. I needed to work on keeping conversations going. As I found my own passion in everyday life, I got a lot better at maintaining an exuberant social life. A few years back, when I had no hobby at all, I didn’t know what people talked about when they’re together. Some of the best conversations I’d ever had at that point were either about online games or alcohol. Since I’ve started living in the moment, however, I found myself craving conversations. I was no longer afraid of the awkward silence. I wanted to show off how I was living my life to the fullest, how I was following my heart. Reading books and listening to podcasts enriched me with useful information and fun facts. Working out made me an energetic and confident person. Origami—yes, I did this—origami helped me develop my artistic self. And there are a lot more I would just love to talk about, such as stargazing, having my hair dyed clearly, and traveling, playing chess, and even skateboarding. I tried whatever came to mind to spice up my life and find my lost smiles back.
So, some of you might say I am being pretentious. Who likes reading and chess? Don’t know. But, I genuinely find them enjoyable and if you think I’m annoying or even obnoxious, that’s okay because this is just the way I am, and I take pride in being this way. Yes, now I’m proud to be an introvert. I’m proud of my unique personality, high self-awareness. I embrace myself as who I am, warts and all, because I know from experience that I can stand undefeated by my weaknesses as long as I carry my inner fire. So, here I am, following my enthusiastic heart, putting myself out in the world, the way I am and always will be. Thank you so much. And, happy new year, everybody.