Do you sometimes worry that people will laugh at you or criticize you?

Are you scared that, if people knew the real you, they’d be disappointed? Or even shocked?

I get it.

As a shy, sensitive introvert, I’ve struggled with feeling self-conscious for much of my life.

When I was a teenager, Mum was worried about me being so shy and sensitive and a friend reassured her “Don’t worry! She’ll grow out of it!”

What I heard was “There’s something wrong with you, and you need to be fixed!”

That sent me off on my lifelong passion for personal transformation. How can I live better in this loud, stressful world?

It has taken me decades of studies in psychology and spirituality, plus many years working with a coach and a spiritual director, for me to come to the place in life where I realise that I’m fine just as I am.

I love myself, my shyness, my sensitivity, my introversion – the lot!

And I’ve discovered that accepting yourself and loving yourself, just as you are, is the foundation of living a fulfilling life.

This world tends to celebrate loud, extroverted people. It doesn’t tend to celebrate shyness or sensitivity or introversion.

So how about you? Do you accept yourself, just as you are?

Do you love yourself, shyness and all? Or do you worry that you’re not good enough?

Over the years, as a coach, I’ve put together a toolkit of strategies to help shy women to live satisfying lives and self-acceptance is one of the foundations. These are not tools to fix you. You are fine just as you are. But just like an athlete training for the Olympics, it’s helpful to have a coach to guide you as you learn new skills to live even better.

So I encourage you to start working on this today. You might just start by giving yourself a high-5 or a thumbs up, whenever you walk past a mirror.

P.S. Remember – You’re a wonderful woman, just as you are!