Overcome Shyness

If you asked some of my former teachers to describe my character, I am fairly sure that the adjective of shy would be mentioned on more than one occasion. You would therefore think that I was a shy person; would you be correct in thinking this? Well perhaps I was a little bit shy, however having a speech impediment certainly meant that I was seen as far shyer than I actually was.
 
The fact that I had little confidence in my ability to speak fluently affected my whole confidence and self-esteem. As a child I found it very hard to look at people in the eyes when I was speaking to them. This is a trait of a person who is shy and therefore people would often comment about how shy I was.

In reality I was a bit of a loner, I would prefer to spend time alone rather than with other people.
 
As I entered into my teenage years I noticed that people had very little respect for people who were seen as shy. I was now at a stage of my life where I wanted to be liked and respected. I was a keen sportsman and this enabled me to make some good friends.

The success that I gained via these different sports, especially in snooker, helped in my quest to gain confidence and I certainly liked the feeling of winning.
 
As I entered into my twenties I realised that I had to improve the way that I was living my life. I still had this frustrating speech impediment and it was taking a grip on my life. I knew that if I could some how find a solution to this stuttering problem that my confidence and self-esteem would start to increase.

I would no longer be seen as a weak and shy person and I would be able to progress in my career. I now had a massive determination and need to eradicate the stutter.
 
I have now been fluent for the last twelve years, as at 2008, and life is actually better than I ever dreamed it would be. If you asked my friends or family to describe my character now, there is no way that any of them would mention the word shy.