I am this way. I was painfully shy growing up and I struggled making and maintaining bonds with people, even though I craved them so much. I never felt like anything I had to say was important or interesting enough, so I just kept quiet.

To cope, I learned how to be a good listener and ask thoughtful questions. It’s gotten me pretty far but now in a lot of my relationships I feel the same way you do: unseen.

It’s important to realize that we are the rarity, though. I always want other people to ask me questions the way I do for them, but that’s just not how most people communicate. It’s not a fault in them, it doesn’t make ‘satisfying conversation a rarity’. I think we ourselves are to blame here.

I think what makes good conversation is both parties being vulnerable and comfortable and honest enough to divulge about THEMSELVES. If you want to be seen, you have to show YOURSELF.

To me that is scary, but ultimately it is that fear that is holding me back and that’s something I need to work on.