I spent a good part of my life trying to fit in, trying to blend with others. Because even as an introvert, humans are community creatures, we need to live in society to survive.

But the difference is understanding that you don't actually need to change who you are. You don't need to blend in, and you don't need to force anyone to accept you either which is something a lot of new movements are getting confused about.
The few who accept you, the few who allow you to just be, those are the ones you can build some kind of real social life with. It won't be perfect either, because the more of an outsider we feel, the more we realise it's a feeling so deeply wired into us that it always finds its way back.
But the best acceptance, the best respect, the most kindness and the highest standard you need to have is from yourself, with yourself.
Hard to find. Hard to balance. But absolutely worth fighting for.