[Caged Great]

I used to be shy, and a bit of a recluse, especially in my teenage years and early 20's. That was mainly due to not really identifying much with a lot of people that were my age. They were focused mostly on High School drama bs, where I was involved in dealing with a situation that changed law in Canada (long story). Different concerns entirely. Add in I have very disparate interests, and it would be difficult to interact with people unless you compartmentalize your interactions with people to that one area of interest. Then after that I began getting crap for certain choices I made (namely becoming a decorator while being a straight guy in Alberta, almost everyone assumes you're gay regardless).

Oddly enough I overcame my shyness entirely during one of my periods of being reclusive, which seems contradictory but it worked for me. I have never had much problem with public speaking though which is odd.

When I am interacting with new people, I am always myself, and I've learned that it is best to turn off the filter of what the other people might think of you, either positively or negatively. I find that that was paralyzing to an extent, so not dwelling on it helps free up things.