I was a super shy introverted kid. Lots of my classmates I went to school with for many years would say “I didn’t even know what your voice sounded like,” or “I didn’t even know you could talk,” because I rarely said anything except to my friends and teachers.

That being said, just because I was shy and non-confrontational doesn’t mean I lacked a backbone. If I felt I was being treated unfairly, you would know and you could not force an apology out of me. It didn’t matter if you were an adult, an authority, or how much you yelled. I’d tear up and cry, but I wouldn’t back down.

Don’t mistake shy and non-confrontational as weak and lacking confidence.