By: fallen angel

I used to be a shy, correction, I used to be, and still am, a shy person. But back in my teenage years, I was very very shy; to the extent that I couldn’t give a presentation without feeling those tiny muscles above my cheeks twitch, and I would shy away from approaching people and socialize.

It’s difficult, really, for us introverts in this world. Extroverts have it so easy for them, their ability to swash away in public without worry or internal resistance, being able to just speak in public at a moment’s notice, mingle with people whenever they like.

Being shy is like a barrier to advancement and success, the ability to speak and hold yourself well in public is extremely valuable if you want a smooth sailing career and journey to success. Knowing that, I realized that being shy is a barrier to myself, some sort of a glass ceiling that holds me down from achieving more, both in my career and in my life. And it dawned upon me early in my career life, about a few months after I started my first job, that my shyness is holding me back.

I knew something had to be done.

I was thinking of joining Toastmasters, in fact, joining anything at all that can help, when I flipped the newspaper one day and saw an article about salsa dancing. The class was held nearby, about 100m from where I worked, so I decided to just try it out and see how it’s like. You know, maaaaaybe, just maybe, it could help.

What I didn’t realize was my decision that day changed my life forever.

It has been a long journey, learning salsa dancing with no dancing background whatsoever. But looking back, those initial moments of courage when I forced myself (more like being forced by the instructor) to rid itself of fear and shyness and step onto the dance floor, ignoring all the peering eyes, has unknowingly cracked the glass ceiling, the barrier that held me back, bit by bit. Today, there is absolutely no problems for me to step onto the dance floor and ridicule myself, I mean, dance in public.

Whaddaya know, no more shyness!

And this has somehow helped me in countless other ways. It’s easier for me to speak out in meetings, hold a meeting, do a presentation, and numerous other things that once were such monumental tasks for me.

Yup, if you’re shy, and you want to do something about it, take up a dance class. It could be latin, hip hop, salsa, any dance class. You’ll not just learn something new, but you’ll also learn how to be more agile, get some much needed exercise weekly, learn to be less shy, and probably one day be able to break through the shyness barrier of yours that’s holding you back.

Good luck!