Summary

The article discusses how influential figures often share their past struggles with shyness to connect with their audience and highlights the effectiveness of this approach.

Abstract

The article titled "The Pillar of Most 50K Followers Profile: Overcoming Shyness" delves into the common narrative among successful bloggers and public figures who reveal their previous battles with shyness. It suggests that this confession is a powerful tool for engagement, as it resonates with many people's personal experiences. The author outlines three key reasons why admitting to overcoming shyness is impactful: it allows audiences to identify with the speaker, fosters empathy through the admission of vulnerabilities, and creates a striking contrast to the perceived confidence of influential individuals. The piece concludes by reminding readers that the past struggle with shyness does not define the current capabilities of a person.

Opinions

The author believes that sharing personal stories of overcoming shyness is an effective strategy for building a connection with an audience.
There is a suggestion that revealing past vulnerabilities, such as shyness, can be a sign of strength and sincerity, which in turn can garner respect and attention.
The article implies that the audience's perception of a person's main attribute, possibly influenced by the "halo effect," can be challenged and deepened by learning about their less obvious traits or past challenges.
The author posits that the contrast between a person's current influential status and their past shyness can be intriguing and appealing to audiences, much like the enjoyment of contrast in flavors.
It is noted that the success of a person is not necessarily tied to their ability to overcome shyness, but rather that this triumph is just one aspect of their journey.

The Pillar of Most 50K Followers Profile: Overcoming Shyness

For all those who see their shyness (only) as a problem: it’s more common than you think

I like taking inspiration from bigger blogs, such as people posting for Human Parts, solopreneurs, certified writers with 20 books under their belt…

Some common features, like the long-lasting and consistent presence in the media they chose to carry their message, are pretty obvious to imagine.

But there is one in particular who captured my attention. The majority of them always come out, sooner or later, with saying quotes like “I used to barely talk to other people”, “Speaking in public paralyzed me”, “I haven’t always been what I look like today”, or similar.

I’m not discussing if it’s true or a strategy — I don’t know them, and an article is not enough to tell that for sure — but the point is that it works very well, and I’ll give you 3 reasons why.

1) We recognize ourselves in those feeling

It has been panned by critics since the first minute of the first episode. I still remember the first time I watched “The Rings of Power”, the TV series about The Lord of the Rings. It came out about one year ago, and generated very high hype. When we finished seeing the first episode, I tried to say something like “It’s not bad, isn’t it?”. The people who were with me were horrified. The next day, at the company canteen, the scene repeated pretty similarly, and so it did again and again, until one brave told me: “Why don’t you look critics about it?”. I did. It had been panned by critics from the first to the last minute.

As far as I know, I’m the only person on this Earth who liked it.

If I had to build an article, a blog, or an identity about The Rings of Power, I would likely get the same reactions I got live.

What if instead I said, “When I was a child, I found it difficult to say aloud my ideas and interact with others?”.

How many people would resonate with this statement?

The reaction this time would be “OMG, he’s talking about me!”.

There’s no better point to start an interaction.

2) Admitting weaknesses creates connections

I consider frankness the best way to carry on an interaction.

If you show yourself strong enough to admit the most embarrassing personality traits, you encourage yourself to do the same.

It is the foundation to build empathy.

People admire sincerity and courage, and stating aloud sufferings from the past, including shyness, is the best way to stick other’s attention to you

3) It creates contrasts

Instinctively, you do not expect people with a large audience to know what being shy means.

It is called the “halo effect”: we tend to think about one person’s main feature as it is the only one.

Imagine a perfect stranger you meet by attending a three hours journey on a train, who comes out with “I’ve been shy when I was a child”, and now think about the same thing told by the person you admire the most in the world — whoever he or she is —

It is different, right? If you like someone, it resonates much more.

It is like immersing your harms in cold water. The left is dry, whereas the right has been in a recipient full of very hot water for a while. Even if the temperature is the same for both arms, the right is going to feel much colder than the left.

Influent people are the right arm: hearing them saying they had to overcome shyness, creates a contrast between their halo and their humble statements.

And, like it happens for foods, our brain loves contrasts.

In the end…

I’d like to conclude with a quick thought:

To be astonished by reading a successful person used to be shy in the past is perfectly normal, but I’ll tell you a secret: the fact one had to deal with shyness and won it, has nothing to do with how good (or bad) that person is.