'I wish I weren't so shy': you don't need a personality makeover to loosen up a little. Just try these easy tricks.(Getting personal)

Publication: Good Housekeeping

Publication Date: 01-AUG-04

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i'm on the board of a local charity here in Charlotte, North Carolina. At a recent meeting, I had an idea for promoting an upcoming fund-raiser, but the mere thought of sharing my plan with the group made my heart race.

Should I speak up? I asked myself.

Yes, I should, I decided. That's why I'm here.

But what if it's a dumb idea ...?

I was in the middle of this internal debate when a woman sitting across from me suggested the same idea. I watched, frustrated, as heads bobbed up and down in unison. Brilliant, they agreed. Let's do it.

There are certain circumstances in life--speaking at a meeting, for instance--that rank right up there on my pain barometer with childbirth and opening my cell phone bill. When I face these situations, I get flushed, my throat tightens, and I seem to lose my grasp of language.

There are lots of people out there like me, people who suffer from "situational shyness" that pops up at moments of high social pressure. Some--perhaps a third of the population--are shy...

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