How to step out of your shell.

How have you done this?  If you kept a wall around yourself for self-protection, how did you start chipping away at it.  You know you are better than you let others think you are but you don’t do anything to show it.  Are you underemployed? Unemployed?  Do you find it difficult to make and keep friends?

What have you done to overcome this?  Please comment with success stories to help those of us that suffer from this. Thanks.