Hey Mattey ,

Pleasure to meet you. Let me see If I can help. Someone once told me some of the most “real” people are also some of the lonliest and tend not to have big circles of friends. The older you grow friendship will be based on quality and not popularity. You have all the traits to make for a person who any person should feel privileged to call a friend. You are never as good or as bad as people say you are. You have a passion and open mind. If people assume you are serious , It’s not a bad thing at all. Try to smile in public more often , when greeting someone. Open ended questions.

People want to be talked too , you don’t need to “buy” friendships , as those people are there for all the wrong reasons.As for the pressure from your parents , just be kind to them and take things easy to not worry them . What I like about you is you are not afraid to try new things. Don’t follow the trends and stick to your values as you stated above. It gives a unique factor to who you are , another perspective someone who is equally open minded and non judgmental can learn from. Be an absolute gentleman at all time. Polite , clean cut , Good heart. Take care of your health , go to the gym. Nothing is more satisfying then knowing you are adding positive aspects to your life. The baby steps lead to natural confidence , hard work and effort will always pay off and give you a result. People gravitate to an “Image” of who they wish they were. Nothing wrong with being on your best mr.GQ , good values and kindness towards others. Be humble and know how to laugh at yourself and not take it personal. There is no right way to go about it , but these are just some small pointers to slowly get you out of the bubble of being shy while doing something good for yourself. Let me know how it goes buddy.