Introverts have gotten a lot more attention in recent years than they used to. But as Susan Cain argues in her bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, many people still see being an introvert as something close to a handicap.

After all, this is a world where, thanks in part to social media, we are all permanently set to transmit.

We brag about our possessions and our experiences to impress our friends and family. We enhance our attractiveness to get romantic partners. And we boast about our achievements to climb the career ladder.

For the roughly one third of the population that are natural introverts, though, these things are hard or even impossible.

When everyone admires extroverted qualities, being an introvert can hold you back. However, this personality type also has advantages over more talkative and outgoing people.

Here are some of the ways you can make the most of being an introvert and harness your personality type to achieve what you want.

1) Think things through

Time to put my cards on the table. I’m what you might call a classic introvert.

In other words, that means that I get energy from being alone. While I’m perfectly capable of spending time around others and can even enjoy it, I can’t do it forever.

Sooner or later, I need to get away to the woods or the mountains or out on the sea or even just in my room and be alone with my thoughts.

That’s how an introvert recharges their batteries. And while to more extroverted people, it might seem strange, to us introverts, it’s essential.

But it can also be a helpful trait.

You see, the time introverts spend alone allows them to think deeply about the world and themselves and get to know themselves really well.

Author and neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius points to a Harvard study demonstrating that introverts tend to have more gray matter in their brain.

“This means they spend a lot more time thinking before they act – an advantage,” she says.

In my own life, I’ve found almost the perfect career for introvert like me. I’m a writer, which means I spend most of my day alone in a room, thinking about the world around me.

That would drive some people crazy. But for me, it’s ideal.

Find a way to harness the strengths that come with being an introvert, and you may find great success.

2) Be a listener

Introverts may not always be the first invited to parties. But smart workplaces know that oftentimes, the best listeners are introverts.

“Introverts’ listening skills can serve us well, and I am proud of mine,” writes author and introversion expert Sofia Dembling.  “But one reason listening can be exhausting for us is that we pay attention. We listen hard.”

Listening to others can take a big toll on an introvert’s energy levels.

At the same time, we introverts are naturally better at listening to others and thinking about what they are saying, paying attention to their motivations and the words they leave unsaid as well as what they do say.

This makes introverts great at roles like counseling or human resources, where listening to people is a real asset.

It also makes us great friends to have for anyone who has something to get off their chest.

3) Focus

Another area where introverts excel is in focusing. We often have an impressive ability to focus deeply on a task for an extended period of time.

So while we may not be the best at multitasking, we are the people others should turn to when they have a demanding project that requires deep focus.

Check out this study from 2008 which found that introverts take longer to process information than extroverts. According to author Dr. Jennifer Kahnweiler, that’s because they process the information more thoroughly than others.

This allows introverts to make better, more thoughtful choices based on the same information everybody else has.

It also makes introverts well-suited for roles where deep focus is an asset. We make excellent researchers, scientists, philosophers, writers, and therapists thanks to this ability to focus.

4) Be creative

You don’t have to be a famous artist or inventor for creativity to have a positive effect in your life. Being creative means being able to solve problems, and that’s something we can all benefit from, no matter what we do for a living.

Extroverts, according to career counselor Elizabeth Wagele, “can be as creative as introverts but since they’re not as fond of solitude, they don’t lean toward introspection or focusing in depth as naturally as introverts do.”

So introverts are often more able to harness their creativity and use it to come up with new ideas and new solutions.

That means introverts often do well in roles where creativity is required.

It also means that an introvert can harness their creative tendencies by taking up a hobby such as writing, painting, sculpting, or making music that allows them to develop their natural creativity.

5) Be independent

When I look back over my life at all the things I’ve done for money, I see a clear pattern in my careers.

When I was young, I took whatever job I could with very limited experience and qualifications, which meant I often worked manual labor jobs on building sites or in factories. But I was never happy in those places.

While my coworkers would often enjoy the camaraderie of the workplace, all I wanted to do was get out of there and back home.

Slowly, I found myself gravitating to jobs that involved being out on the road alone instead of with other people. I found I work best with low supervision, and did really well at jobs that inquired independent thinking and the ability to manage your own time.

Eventually, I ended up being fully self-employed, a one-man business that I’ve built around my own strengths and weaknesses.

“Because introverts are more private, they’re inclined to cultivate a lifestyle that maximizes autonomy and self-sufficiency,” writes Jetta Moon for introvertdear.com.

“Whenever possible, they prefer to work independently, and because of this tendency, they usually require less supervision and fewer “check ins” than extroverted employees or students.”

In other words, introverts excel at roles where they are able to manage themselves.

6) Build deep relationships

It’s not true that introverts don’t like people, or that they are incapable of making friends. However, they tend to approach friendship differently than more extroverted people.

“Instead of having a large social circle of people they know only on a superficial level, introverts prefer to stick to deep, long-lasting relationships marked by a great deal of closeness and intimacy,” writes psychologist Kendra Cherry.

“Of the many strengths of introverts, one is that they tend to create profound and significant relationships with those closest to them.”

To put it simply, as an introvert, you may have fewer friends. But the friendships you have with those people will be far more meaningful than the more superficial friendships others cultivate.

7) Think of others

I’ve already mentioned how it’s not true that introverts don’t care about other people.

In fact, it’s likely that they care more than most. Or at least, have a more developed sense of empathy thanks to all the time they spend by themselves, thinking.

According to psychologist Judith Orloff, most empaths, or highly empathetic people, are introverts.

So while an introvert may not always have the energy to be around other people, they absolutely have the ability to understand others on an emotional level.

This can sometimes be painful. But it can also help an introvert understand the needs and desires of the people around them.

Again, this is great for professions like psychologists, therapists, teachers, and coaches (and writers).

But it’s also a vital skill to have in your regular life. Being sensitive to the needs of others makes you, ultimately, a better person.

Embracing introversion

It’s impossible to say whether it’s better to be an introvert or an extrovert, because each personality type has its own strengths and weaknesses.

What we can say, based on the evidence from psychology and other fields of study, is that introverts have significant advantages over extroverts in some areas.

So the best way to make the most of being an introvert is to focus on those areas where your introversion is an asset instead of a liability.

That way, you can harness all the strengths that come with a personality that requires quiet.