A trip to Mexico: The power of environmental influence

I took a trip to Mexico last year and lived there for three months. In Mexico, I met some very interesting people who have helped me to improve my social skills. I’ve realized that people in English-speaking countries should totally learn some social skills from other cultures.

Am I actually an introvert?

For decades, I thought I must be an introvert because I gain energy when I’m alone and feel drained when I spend too much time chatting with other people – that’s the very definition of an introvert.

After a trip to Mexico, I’ve learned something new: In fact, I’m a multi-dimensional person because I become an extravert when the environment is right, i.e., as I was surrounded by outgoing people when I was in Mexico, the extraverted side of me became more obvious due to the environmental influence.

Obviously, for so many years, I was in the English-speaking environment where being an introvert is encouraged. Indeed, in English-speaking countries, people are generally less relaxed and in general, people talk less with each other & most of those conversations are about very basic things. Deep and meaningful conversations are not very common.

In contrast, most people in Mexico are much more relaxed and they are willing to share more about how they feel and what they are thinking about with each other.

The benefits of being a multi-dimensional person:

Now when I work from home, I enjoy being an introvert because I need a large amount of time to read books and write articles. Spending time alone gives me a lot of energy which helps me to focus on my work. This is very important.

Also, I’ve started to meet more people and have more friends because I am able to be an extravert whenever I go out to socialize with others. My conversation skills have improved significantly because I’m more relaxed nowadays. I’ve cultivated a good sense of humor when I interact with other people, and I actually laugh out loud.

Clearly, a trip to Mexico has helped me to reach my potential by making me a multi-dimensional person. I’m glad that I tried something different in a totally different environment.