We are all born shy, aren't we? When we see little children clinging to their parents, hiding behind Mom or Dad, we are reminded about the shyness of first coming into this World. As this early stage of our life we are not ready to be seen just yet. We want to hide until it feels safe to come out and be visible.

Becoming visible is what Life is all about. Revealing ourselves, showing ourselves and expressing our "inner self" are about becoming visible and declaring ourselves "Ready" to meet the World. Much of the World certainly seems to like the shy person. People want that person to reveal themselves, to display their talents and capabilities. The World can be generous that way. It would seem that "repression" is an aberration to that so-called "Worldy Manner" where we usually invite others to share themselves with us.

This is a good thing, I believe, where we encourage each other to come out and display our wealth of creativity. As a species we are all enriched by these contributions from our shy members. It's like we know at some level that we will benefit from their displays. And perhaps they will teach us something aboutourselves, since all of us have some inherent shyness built in.

Here's an interesting fact about shy people, those that still display shyness as adults - they are Creative. Very creative, as a matter of fact. The more shy a person is, the more creative they tend to be. A lot of actors and performers are shy people. Why? Because they are creative. So why do shy, creative people show themselves? Because the joy of giving, of displaying their special abilities far exceeds the limited payoff of staying hidden and allegedly safe. It's a contradiction of course, but it is true nevertheless. Most shy people (not all) arecreative, and most creative people would rather give of their talents than hold back.

Are you shy? Are you creative? Then perhaps you are ready to give of yourself too! Wouldn't that be worth pursuing? If you see yourself as a "Shy" person then here's what you can do. You can hold yourself up to the light of day and declare "I am ready to meet the world." And the world will respond. "Welcome" it will say. "Yes indeed, we need you. Please show us your stuff."

And all the shy people of the World will step forward and give of themselves unanimously. Wouldn't that be a big surprise? To see all of us out there, dancing a jig, showing off our stuff, our talents and abilities.

Yes, we can do it, we who are shy. We can show our stuff to the World. Time to come out from behind Mom's skirts, and take a peek around the corner. The World is waiting for you to "Strut Your Stuff." Don't be shy now!

Maurice Turmel has a PHD in Counseling Psychology and was a practicing therapist for nearly 25 years. Self-Help issues are dealt with regularly in his monthly Ezine "The Self-Help Advisor." Dr. Turmel likes to use parable stories to illustrate important points. He has authored 3 books and is also a performing songwriter. He can be reached through his Website at: http://www.MauriceTurmel.com