by Joyce M. George-Knight

Created on: November 25, 2011

Just like everything else in life, there are pluses and minuses to being shy. Certainly a shy person is least likely to jump into action without considerable thought, if one acts at all. Shyness is, indeed, a blessing and a curse. On the side of being a blessing, the reserved individual is a "behind the scenes" type, who is observant, considers all aspects of an action, and does not make spur-of-the-moment decisions. Such a man or woman is not apt to make a wrong final decision. They store information and observations in their head, but lack the confidence to stand out in a crowd or to be boastful. For this reason, others remain oblivious to that wealth of knowledge.

On the other hand, the curse of shyness could be responsible for losing out on opportunities. "I should have..." can be the cry of the reticent person, who feared making a wrong decision. That job that they wanted so badly, but didn't have the confidence to speak up at the interview and present their past achievements resulted in annoyance with self, not to mention the loss of a chance to be hired.

Oftentimes shyness is mistaken for lack of interest. Therefore, like the speaker, standing before an audience who scans over the heads of viewers, the bashful person is scanned over when there are leadership roles to be filled or positions of responsibility and key spots that take on projects. It's like the squeaky wheel that is heard and gets the necessary attention, while the quiet wheel is assumed to be just fine, even if it isn't. The boastful person, who sounds knowledgeable and motivated will get chosen before the introverted person, who sits in the corner, even if the introverted person has more experience and know-how.

If the shy man or woman were to take on the challenge of setting aside inferior feelings and partaking in a risk, they would experience more successes. Such achievements would shed shyness, making it a thing of the past. The thrill of having broken-through the self-locked invisible chains that held them captive will be enough to release them forever. All that is necessary is to believe that shyness is a blessing and that it can be overcome.

Surely nobody enjoys the confines of entrapment. Witnessing others' accomplishments from a distance and knowing that they could have been "mine" is a hurt that can be as powerful a motivation as Spring's daffodils. Daffodil bulbs sprout through frozen ground spreading toward the sunlight and burst upward as buds that give promise of becoming full blown flowers.  Everybody has the same strength and power over shyness, if they believe.

Learn more about this author, Joyce M. George-Knight.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.