I just started reading a book entitled Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, it's an older book, copyright 1994, with updated 2013 foreward by Bill Clinton. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. Bill Clinton asks him to describe his long walk from prison to president. He said, "When you're young and strong, you can stay alive on your hatred. And I did, for many years." Then one day after years of imprisonment, physical and emotional abuse, and separation from his family, Mandela said, "I realized that they could take everything from me except my mind and my heart. They could not take those things. Those things I still had control over. And I decided not to give them away."
That title encapsulates your journey out of social anxiety and phobias. I hope to provide you with social maps to help you understand social interactions so you'll know what kind of situation you're dealing with. Do you need affiliatve skills or competitive skills; are you hogtied by excessive approval orientation, perfectionism, fearful of the potential negative reaction of the other person.
It's imprisonment- of a different kind. Shyness is imprisonment of self- my goal with these blogs is to to liberate you to enjoy life, people, and the many charms and abilities you inherently possess.
We also need to hear your voice. If the world's values are defined by those who babble the loudest- we are missing the thoughtful, measured responses of the socially reticent- who have great ideas and insights that can benefit our little planet.
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