Lion sounds that have not grown from the mouse may exude naked power... but cannot convey any wisdom or understanding... The initial steps on the path to courageous speech then are the first tentative steps into the parts of us that cannot speak.
We withdraw not to disappear, but to find another ground from which to see; a solid ground from which to step, and from which to speak again, in a different way, a clear, rested, embodied voice we begin to remember again as our own.
Start close in, don’t take the second step or the third, start with the first thing close in, the step you don’t want to take.
Shyness means you are in the hallway of a greater presence. You just don't know how to take the conversation another step. It's a lovely indication.