You are NOT a loser at all! Not everyone is supposed to be the same or act the same. We're all into different things and we all find happiness in different ways... for some people, it's partying and socializing and having a huge group of friends. For others, it's reading and having a smaller group of friends and having alone time. We're not all robots that have to act the same... we're humans and humans are full of variety and no matter how weird someone is, they are bound to find people either with similar interests or preferences or who accept them for who they are. Since you do have friends, it seems like you have found people who are cool with you just being you. Be thankful for the people in your life that like you the way you are, they are the ones that matter… and, like some people say, it's better to have 4 quarters than a 100 pennies.
All I can say is, don't ever change yourself to suit other people. You were not born to please others, just like no one is born to please you. You don't have to fit in with the 'cool kids' or change who you are for them. The second you do is the second you tell yourself ‘I’m not good enough”. And the second you tell yourself that is when insecurity begins. Do you want to be that girl that is so likeable and has a million friends but is really insecure and unhappy on the inside? Think about this: who’s happier, the person who everyone loves but hates themselves or the person that everyone hates but loves themselves? There are people that everyone loved but, they couldn’t love themselves… and this could have dire consequences (think Robin Williams… R.I.P.). At the end of the day, your opinion of yourself is the most important. That’s what I tell myself whenever I suddenly start giving a **** what other people think of me. Giving a **** about what other people think is like being in a jail cell… that you put yourself in! Don’t put yourself in that jail, it doesn’t benefit anyone, especially not you. Also, there is no freer feeling than not giving a **** about what other people think of you!
When you're young, it can feel easy to get swayed by social expectations... because, we’re more insecure, we don’t have a steady grounding of who we are and we want to find a social group to fit in and not feel out casted. But, it seems to me like you have a pretty grounded idea of who you are! You said that you’re introverted, you like to read books and you love writing. It’s good that you know these things about yourself because having that steady footing is the first step to being a happy person. A person can’t be happy if they don’t know themselves first. Think about it, if you don’t know yourself, how can you possibly meet your needs or find people who are truly compatible with you? How can you define your success and strive for it? Happiness starts with knowing yourself and a person can’t know themselves without accepting themselves. I hope you accept yourself for who you are and you don’t let people fool you into not accepting yourself… that’ll only hold you back from the happiness that you deserve.
Some of the most successful people had to face the swaying tide of other people’s so-called ‘social norms’ but, if they changed themselves and let the tide sway them, they wouldn’t have found success. They wouldn’t have done things that helped many people or changed the world. They knew themselves and they kept that steady footing. They didn’t let other people sway them and, because of this, the world is a better place. Find strength in this knowledge you have of yourself and your beliefs… it’s the key to you living a meaningful life. You may or may not save millions of peoples’ lives or invent the next iPhone 26 but, you could affect someone’s life in a positive way.
I’ll just end with this: Be honest with who you are. Accept who you are. Know who you are. Stand your ground and stay true to yourself. Always follow your heart, not other people’s insecurity-driven expectations. And, surround yourself with and be thankful for people that accept you for who you are.
:) From one introverted book-reader with a few friends to another… stay awesome!