Ok here's the deal I have my first gig coming up. I'm 19 years old and have been practicing magic for about five years, and while I know I have my routine down I'm still incredibly nervous. I practiced until I could do all my flourishes and effects blindfolded , but I still feel as if something is missing. How I do I get over the shakes, and get rid of that nagging feeling that something is missing. Anything helps thanks!
I apologise for the random story here, but bear with it, it has a point. ha ha.
I know how you feel, I am a very shy person too and the one thing I have worried about since I started Magic a few months ago was the fact that I'm not good at just aproaching people. Just recently in my town I have started to use the proper Market more rather than the supermarket, and the sort of people who shop here are the kind of people that tend to be very outgoing. When they say hello, they say it loudly and proudly. They say it with confidence and they say it like they genuinely mean it, because they do. At first I would say hello back, but fairly quietly, and I would only say it when someone said hello to me. After just a month or so I find that I am the one saying hi to people, and I'm saying it in the same way they would. I'm saying it with more confidence and conviction.
SO, like a post above suggests, just start saying hello to people. be outgoing and friendly and see how that goes to start with. No magic, just a simple "good Morning" will do at first. Then move on to "Good morning, How are you doing?" You never know, it may just start a conversation. If it does you could get the conversation onto what you are doing, which could lead to you pulling some cards out of your pocket, and doing your first performance. If it doesn't, then so what. You've just been friendly to someone.