Do you see yourself as shy?

Do you struggle to understand how life works; the way other people seem to?

As you walk along the street, do you wish you weren’t always stepping out of the way?

Well, if you said yes to any of those then this is for you.

Welcome to Let’s Talk About shyness, our new blog series on how to live with less nervous tension and worry, and more compassion, confidence and joy!

Today I’d love to give you a hot tip which you can play with anywhere, any time.

Because, as you’re walking along the street, I wonder if you ever feel like everyone else seems aggressive! They’re assertive! They don’t seem to even see you’re there!

And while, in some ways, you’re proud that you’re a nice person and so you’re not like that. On the other hand, do you sometimes wish that you weren’t just always stepping out of the way?

So, my hot tip for you today is a little experiment to try, the next time you’re walking down the road or walk in the shopping centre.

Imagine that you are someone really famous. Someone confident and important. Who might you be? A movie star? A singer? A world leader? Royalty? You can pick whoever you like.

How would they stand? Imagine standing like that.

How would they walk?

Imagine yourself growing taller, your shoulders getting wider and your arms swinging confidently.

Imagine you’re standing tall and looking around because you are famous. Just imagining that you are this amazing, fantastic, very important someone.

And as you do, just see what happens. See if people might actually step out of the way when you walk through. Do they step even a little bit to the side?

I just invite you to have a little play with this because in every moment, you’re telling others how to treat you with your body language. People pick up the vibe you’re feeling from your posture without even being conscious it’s happening.

Life coaches call this your “state”. You can choose your state – confident or hesitant – in any moment. Your state includes how you hold and move your body, your clothing, whether you make eye contact or smile.

And darling, you are important! You are the only you in the world! We need you to be living the life you’re here to live, and sharing the unique gifts you bring. Only you can be you. Everyone else has already taken.

So I invite you to have a little play with walking tall.

And I’d love it if you would hit email to let me know how you go with this! My email is connect[at]myjoyfullife.com.au

Have fun! You’ve got this!