Shyness is cute in really young children - just watch all the mothers crooning over their shy babies. But in later life, shyness can be a curse. Check out these essential tips to cure your shyness.

1. Build up your self confidence

One of the main reasons people are shy is that they lack confidence in themselves. Work on building up your confidence - start with a few small things that you've done in the past and do them on a slightly bigger scale - and build up. Confidence is contagious, so there's a good chance you'll find that working on the small stuff automatically makes the bigger stuff easier to work on.

2. Step out of your comfort zone

There's nothing like being thrown in at the deep end to provoke a sink-or-swim response. But, as with your confidence, it's better to slowly move outside your comfort zone. Maybe start by speaking to someone who's a semi-stranger - you recognize them from somewhere in the office but you've never spoken face to face. Then work your way up. Slow but steady wins the race here - you don't want to step so far out of your comfort zone that you turn yourself into an instant recluse with your reaction.

3. Smile!

Smiling is quite disarming. It breaks down barriers in ways that almost nothing else can. In fact, if you smile more often, there's a good chance that other people will approach you because you look friendly and helpful. Capitalize on this and make it part of your regular routine to smile often.