If you were to ask a shy person why does he or she feel shy, you would get dozens of different answers. However, in most cases all shy people feel shy primarily because they aren't used to something or they don't know how to act or what to do or say. That's why we believe that being prepared is one of the most important things you need to take care of if you want to become a confident person.
Imagine that you're walking down the street and you see an extraordinarily beautiful girl - the girl of your dreams. What do you do? If you're shy, you probably don't do anything (and lose a great opportunity). If you're confident AND prepared, you're going to talk to her and find out if she's interested in you as well.
What can you do to take the advantage of this opportunity even if you consider yourself a shy person? It's simple - be prepared. You can read a list of things to say to a girl you don't know (so that you won't make excuses that you don't know what to say), you can read some books on how to approach strangers, you can prepare yourself mentally to always look for new opportunities to improve yourself.
Being prepared is also about your comfort zone. If you constantly do the same things, how do you expect to be prepared to react well in a new situation? Since you don't put yourself deliberately in situations which require learning something new, you don't know how to react. And that makes you feel shy, nervous and/or awkward.
We're going to write more about comfort zone in the future but for today we want to point out (and it's extremely important) that if you keep doing the same things, you keep getting the same results. You feel shy because you aren't used to new things (aren't prepared to deal with them). You aren't used to new things because you don't do them. Simple.
Your new homework: always be prepared for new situations.
If you have a new job interview, read a book or two on how to make a great impression.
If you have a first date, take care of your breath, eat lightly, relax and think about logistics (are you going to drive, where do you want to take her, what will you do if you connect with her and you want to have sex with her?).
If you want to go out and meet new people, learn how to approach them and how to make small talk.
Good luck and remember to have fun!
