It's obvious you have a huge heart Rosie and you do matter to many people. I know I look forward to seeing you out there on any given day.
Yes, I think shyness can be crippling. I had such anxiety around people at one time, that I used to feel like I was going to pass out talking to them.
I wonder if you weren't really suffering from extreme social anxiety. There are effective medications for that and once I stopped panicking all the time, I got more assertive. The more I got assertive, the better my life got.
It's never too late to get treatment Rosie. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own shoes.