Mark Goulston Posted on Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 1:14PM 
I am a founding member of the "dread going/glad I went" club of socially-shy people.
I am also a "role-specific extrovert." That means that when the occasion calls for me to be "out there" I strap on some courage and give it my best shot, but it doesn't come naturally.
Mark Goulston Posted on Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 9:34PM 
Disappointment is merely an unmet expectation; it’s only when you imbue it with negative meanings that it becomes painful.
World English Dictionary
dys- prefix
- diseased, abnormal, or faulty: dysentery; dyslexia
- difficult or painful: dysuria, dysthymia
- unfavorable or bad: dylogistic
[via Latin from Greek dus- ]
How many people do you know that handle disappointment well?
Mark Goulston Posted on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 9:56AM 
I recently returned from my first trip to India where I spoke on communication and conflict mastery in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. I was told the trip would be life changing. It was.
At least with the people I met, hidden agendas were nowhere to be found. Even the beggars and people who pushed their products, monkeys, cobras and small children on their arms on me had no hidden agendas. What a contrast from looking into another American's eyes and nearly always sensing some personal agenda and effort to manipulate or at least maneuver you to get their way.
;)