Grappling with a quiet personality

Today I've been thinking about a lot of things (as usual :-)  One thing in particular I want to process right now is why I tend to be an introvert.  For some reason sometimes I just prefer to avoid people unless there is a purpose in relating or if they are a close friend.  Recently I have felt a bit "burned out" on trying to open up new relationships or deepen casual ones.  Father God, please guide me as I try to discern why I have this tendency. 

    One of the first things that comes to mind is the fact that I have tried very hard to build relationships here and it still feels like a lot of my local friendships are distant.  I have a tendency to have a few close friends, keep to my work, and not worry about being more social than that.  However the work here requires a certain amount of being open and connected with people.  In some ways realizing this about myself -- how I tend to just enjoy a small core group of friends -- is annoying to me.  Because it appears that people who are more social have greater potential in jobs, ministry, and in relationships, etc.  A lot of jobs in fact make one of their requirements to be "outgoing."  This presents a hindrance to those of us in the world who are a bit less "outgoing" and who have to work at "small talk" and keeping a social group going.  No matter how hard I've tried to work on becoming more "social" it never seems to be enough and I can't seem to maintain it.  It's disappointing.  For some reason I thought that if I became an overseas worker that God would help me change to where I would enjoy being social more.  Yet this has not happened as much as I hoped.  I can still feel a bit nervous in front of a group of people (when I am speaking Albanian).  I still feel a bit speechless when I'm put in charge of leading a small group discussion or trying to create small talk.  These things are a constant reminder of my lack in these areas.  I don' t know how to improve them and I'm tired of trying.  I silently wonder if just somehow I am not trusting God enough or just haven't figured out the way to deal with this or if it is something God wants to change in me or it's just the way I was meant to be. 

    It seems to be an issue that has effected many aspects of my life -- my job potential, my future pursuits, and potential relationships.  It's an issue that doesn't seem to go away.  I can't just brush over it and say it's okay.  Because to me it still is important.  I want to be able to either just accept it -- "I'm not that outgoing but I can do a lot of good things."  Or find a way to grow and change -- so that I can learn to overcome hindrances and finding ways around the awkward moments.  I don't know what is the right decision here. What I wish is that I truly enjoyed leading small group discussions and could naturally make small talk and keep up conversations (without feeling drained afterward).

    It seems (after living with my personality for 31 years now) that this is just how I'm wired and I shouldn't try to get a job that requires a major social personality for the majority of the work I do.  It seems like my best option.  I have not come to any other real concrete conclusion to this.  I do enjoy working on projects that don't require a lot of human interactions.  I thrive in it to some extent.  Yet it's a hard thing to accept.  However, God is the one who forms the deepest parts of us.  If he indeed planned for me to be talented in certain things and not super outgoing.  Then, it's not good for me to continue to fight it.  I must learn to be grateful and work within the personality that He gave me.  

    I'm not sure if many people read this but if you are reading this.  I'd love to hear your take on it.  What have you learned about quiet personalities?  And if you are a quieter person, how have you learned to accept and use it as a strength, instead of always wishing that one could be more "outgoing?"