Week 61 - What turns introverts into extroverts 🤩

Author

Yurii Lazaruk
May 10, 2026

Hey my friend, today let’s talk about what turns introverts into extroverts, and how taking actionable, continuous steps brings you closer to an overnight success 😉

Try This Yourself

When I meet new folks, and we start talking about making connections, many say, “Ah, it’s easy for an extrovert like you”.

And my answer is always: “Who? Me? No way I’m an extrovert!”😅

Let me explain.
When I join a random meeting or a conference where I don’t know anyone, I will not be the person who starts a conversation first.

I’ll be staying or sitting somewhere in a safe space, observing what’s happening and thinking of what I should do next—go listen to some speakers or leave 😅

It’s totally opposite when I host a meetup or a conference. There, I feel like inviting people to my home, and, of course, I’m positive, talkative, and open to conversations and meetings with new people. Totally like an extrovert.

It’s all about where you are. Not who you are.

We are social creatures, and we cannot survive without other humans. The main question is whether you feel comfortable and safe in a specific space to open up.

That’s exactly why, at Freelance Unlocked (the conference for freelancers we’re hosting for the third year already), my motto is:
“Ensure that every participant has at least one friend they are going to meet at the conference.”

How do I do that?
I connect with every participant on LinkedIn, explain why we care and what’s in it for them, invite them to a WhatsApp community, and encourage them to introduce themselves, and even host an online meetup 1-2 weeks before the conference to see the humans they’ll meet soon in person.

Of course, it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people don’t do anything, but it’s always their choice. I just offer an opportunity and guidance.

And those who do, well, they magically turn into extroverts 😉✨

So if you are sure you’re an introvert, remember that moment when you’ve spoken with someone for the whole night, or how much fun you had with your college pals, or maybe recently with community folks you’re a member of.

And if you have no memories like that, well, you have to start somewhere 😏

Go find a post, blog, podcast, or any piece of content that speaks to your heart, and message an author with your thoughts.

Let some serendipity enter your life, and you never know what amazing experiences are just one message away!

tl;dr If you are sure you’re an introvert but want to connect with people, go talk about something you’re passionate about, and identify your people. You’ll be surprised how extroverted you’ll be with them 😉

Expand Your Mindset

Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in the ocean of tasks for months and not seeing the earth anywhere.

And just yesterday, I caught myself thinking that I’m finally getting somewhere.

How come?

Well, we’re just one month away from Freelance Unlocked with 1000 participants, and I’m responsible for all the speakers and participants’ communication, and it’s a lot of people to talk to!

Next, I started getting more answers from freelancers and recruiters after I stopped talking about growing the market, building a community, and bringing value, and started talking specifically about their goals-more projects and faster, better hires!

And I also signed a partnership for the Community ROI, and getting better and better feedback about the quality of the podcast and the newsletter from listeners and readers. And yes, the readers’ base is constantly growing!

But it didn’t happen overnight 🤷‍♂️

I literally had hundreds of conversations, tried dozens of different messages, and even created a “Yurii Mentorship” project in ChatGPT. There I put all my thoughts and ask it to speak with me like a friend, a mentor, a business professional, a CEO, a marketer, a salesperson, like many different personalities to have a helicopter view of what I’m doing.

And very important, I asked it not to always agree with me 😅

So what I mean is that it’s all about taking action and continuously improving.

Night is the darkest just before dawn, and there is nothing worse than inaction.

So when you find yourself going nowhere or even falling backwards, it’s okay, allow yourself to just be, feel your feelings, and accept your emotions, and just keep going.

Your next win is just around the corner, a few small steps away 🤗

tl;dr Sometimes it feels like you’re going nowhere, but trust me, you are! As long as you’re taking actions, you’re getting closer and closer to an overnight success 🤩

So yeah, that’s it for this week, and if you have any questions, thoughts, ideas, or personal examples of how to build better human connections, please answer this email, or connect with me on LinkedIn, and let’s talk 🤗🤓

💡 What influenced me this week 💡

Thoughts of the week:

  • “The way you talk about someone who isn't in the room is one of the loudest signals about the energy you carry.” - Sahil Bloom’s newsletter

  • “You can't expect other people to be drawn to you if you aren't drawn to yourself.” - Sahil Bloom’s newsletter

  • “There is some risk involved in action, there always is. But there is far more risk in failure to act.” - Harry S. Truman, The Economist’s daily quotes

  • “If you have to remind people what your company is called, you don’t have a marketing problem. You have a name problem.” - The Indie Hackers newsletter

Song of the week:

Book and quotes of the week:

“Even if we are right and the other person is definitely wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face.”

“When criticism is minimised, and praise emphasised, the good things people do will be reinforced, and the poorer things will atrophy for lack of attention.”

“Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.”

Tools that I use with referrals:

  • Descript - for anything around podcasting and video editing

  • Beehiiv - for a newsletter (that’s what you receive 😅)

  • Text Blaze - to access message templates with shortcuts (like “/ty”)

  • Exali - promo “FROMYURII” - indemnity insurance for independent experts in Europe

  • Manus - for building complex systems and projects

Daily actions:

  • tell 1 person what I’m thankful to them for

  • read a self-development book/listen to a professional podcast for 15 minutes

  • make a valuable post/comment on LinkedIn

  • tag 10 people in my connections database

  • connect with 30 interesting people on LinkedIn

Weekly actions:

If you have any thoughts, ideas, or questions, please 👇

And if you’d like to have more 👋 Friendworking in your life 👇

See you next week! 👋