How do you overcome shyness?

[ShyBritInMI]

I have never been with a man before, I am a 34 year old male and I have had fantasies about being with men for about 10 years now. I can chat to men online even phone sometimes. I find myself curious about many things but cant seem to get over my shyness. I find it hard to open up and talk to people and chatting online is the way i find helps me open up...meeting people in real life scares me.

but I do want to find out what its like to be with a man, its tough to hear others experiences and not be able to share my own. How did you all overcome the first time with the same sex and how do you overcome being shy?

[shameless agitator]

Well, in my case, when i had to finally acknowledge my attraction to other men I had been introduced to the man in question by my ex wife. You might want to try the same thing. Except you should probably talk to your own ex instead of mine :p Seriously though, having friends introduce you to people takes a lot of the pressure off and gives you something to talk about as well as a buffer if you don't hit it off. I'm not talking blind dates, I wouldn't wish that experience on anybody. If a friend were to just casually invite you and another guy out to coffee though, it makes for a nice relaxed way to get to know each other. You could always get involved in local GLBT organizations and make some friends that way. You never know what could develop from that. As far as actually getting over the feelings of shyness, if you figure that one out let me know. We'll make millions.