Don't Be Shy This Summer

It seems like a long time ago when I was entering my teens and was a pretty shy guy. Hard to believe? It's almost hard for me to believe it. But that's the truth. Like lots and lots of young teens, I wasn't quite sure of myself.

I remember all the times I'd see a group of cute gals on the beach. I'd have given anything to be able to go over and talk. But I always goofed up and would continue walking down the beach as though I'd never seen them in the first place.

After awhile, I told myself that it was 'too much!' It seemed as though everyone was having a great time but me. I wanted my teen years to be the greatest. I was determined to find out just why I couldn't relax and join the fun. Finding out what your trouble is is the first step to conquering shyness.

Then I promised myself that I'd do something about it. That's step number two. Thinking a problem all the way through has always helped me in a tough situation. This seemed to be my answer.

I started thinking about myself and my relationship with my family. Thoughts always a good place to begin because you're probably closer to your family than to any other people.

My folks and I are quite close. Dad and Mom accompany me on most of my personal appearance tours. They'd always taken an interest in my career. But at the same time, when I was a child, they'd always kept a pretty tight circle around me. I guess that's one of the reasons I went through what I call my "shy stage." You see, they sort of thought I was really special and different from most kids 'cause I was in show business. And they tried to make me feel this way. I'm sure you can understand this 'cause most parents feel their kids are the best in the world, too.

Thinking about this, I realized why I was going through this silly stage. I, too, was thinking of myself as being different from everyone else. I wasn't being conceited. I'd never want you to think that I was ever like that. What worried me was what the other kids thought.

I was kind of afraid that they were expecting me to sing and joke all the time -- the way I was on TV and in shows. And I was afraid that if I was myself, I'd disappoint them. So I became a little shy.

Well, by the time I thought of this, the summer was almost over. Lucky for me it only took me a few weeks to understand that being shy wasn't the answer to my problem. And to be honest, it's most likely not the answer to yours, either.

I promised myself that would be my one and only summer of shyness. I decided to follow one rule then on: Be yourself -- and trust yourself! And I'm happy to tell you that it worked then and it's been working ever since. All my summers (and winters, falls, and springs, too) have been sensational.

I've found that whenever I'm myself, I have no trouble making friends, at all. I guess this is because I find it so easy to give of myself. I can joke and laugh and give my opinions or just sit around and listen to the gang without feeling uncomfortable. And if you want to know a little secret, the more you give of yourself, the more other people will give to you! It sounds simple enough, but it took me a summer of shyness to find out for myself. Knowing this has made the past summers wonderful. You try it and see!

Believe it or not, whenever I feel that silly shyness creeping over me, I look for someone else who's suffering from the same symptoms. Then, like Dr. Kildare, I try to help them out. I say hello or invite them to a party. And by making them see that being shy never really solved anyone's problem, I gain confidence.

Things have been so great for me that I can really do almost anything I want without worrying about being myself. Doing my movie was fantastic. If I'd been shy and afraid of trying things, I'd never've had the nerve to learn a whole new field -- dancing. And it's really paid off, because this summer I'll be traveling all around the USA in a summer stock presentation of "West Side Story."

It's one of the greatest feelings in the world to be able to be yourself. To know that if you feel like saying "hi" to someone you can, and not start blushing like crazy. So I'm out for a sensational summer and a "hi" for every cute gal who comes along. Who knows where my "someone special" may be? She might be in the city or on the beach or under the sun and stars. But wherever, or whoever, I'm going to hang around until she comes around. I have all intentions of finding her. It's great to be confident. Take it from me, don't be shy!

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