Overcoming shyness is not always the most desirable thing when it is mild in nature and when it is not upsetting to the life of the shy person.  For instance, to one who works alone and has little interaction with others, ordinary shyness is not usually a very big problem.  However, to someone pursuing a career in sales, shyness can be an obstacle that must be overcome.

There are two major steps that must be taken for someone who is shy to come out of his shell, so to speak.  This steps are:

1. Learning to become less inhibited and
2. Dealing with rejection.

Basically, winning the battle over inhibition involves having a good imagination and some acting skills.  This is because many have found success in overcoming their inhibitions by pretending they were acting the role of someone else.  If you are trying to become less inhibited; try this:

• Observe someone you see as an outgoing person
• When you are alone, pretend you are acting in a play, playing the part of this person
• Use his or her mannerisms when you speak and generally, do what he or she does
• The next time you are in a social situation, just be yourself, but picture yourself playing the role of the outgoing person
• This will help you gain confidence and as confidence grows, inhibitions will disappear.

Of course, when a person acts out his whole life other problems could be developed.  So, remember to save the mimicking of someone for those instances when you are pressed into it.  This would be as in the situation where a shy person calls on a client to make a sale, for instance.  Another example would be a shy fellow approaching a young lady to ask her for a date.  Mimicking can help people in these situations very much.

A great deal of shyness stems from the fear of rejection.  This is the other important part to the equation of overcoming shyness.  Someone who is shy often has become so because the pain rejection brings him or her is enough to stop him or her from ever trying to make any gains in social life.  Therefor, it is most important the shy person understand 3 facts:

1. Every one gets rejected.  Experts in the field of sales teach you will be turned down at least 10 times before you will make a sale.
2. A rejection, or failure brings you one step further toward success.  There is no success without failure.  So, let the saying, “You never know until you ask” be your motto. And,
3. Very often people reject you because they themselves are shy.  Often they use contrived rudeness to hide their insecurity.  Remember, the girl or guy who just turned you down may have done so because he/she is even more shy than you are and may regret rejecting you later on!