Selfish Practice
Many of us naturally have a fear of letting others down.
This makes us afraid of not being enough. To avoid that feeling we stay away from others.
A fast way to overcome the fear of letting others down, is to learn how to put ourselves first and be selfish.
*This doesn't mean that you have to be a dick and treat others bad. You can still treat others with respect while putting yourself first.
Exercise
When you're in public or any social setting, have a selfish reason. "I'm at the restaurant for me" "I want to go for a hike for me" "I'm at the gym for me" "I want to go to this party for me, to hear great music." etc.
Do this for a few days.
Then create selfish reasons why you want to talk others while you're out. "I want to talk to the cashier to practice my social skills". "I want to tell a story I'm going to talk to that guy". "I want to know why she likes this band" etc.
Measure 'Success' by the action you take; not by the quality of any interaction or how anybody responds. In the beginning, make your goal simple. Keep your interactions short.
Example: "I wanted to know why she likes this band. So I got her attention and asked her".
Mission accomplished. I did great.
As your social fear disappears and your confidence grows, add more goals to every interaction. "I want to know why he likes this band. I then want to know what other music he likes. Then I want to compliment him on his taste"