How I stopped being shy

When I was ten years old, i used to be very shy and reserved. Being aloof all the time used to be a preference, and the fact that most of my teachers by that time focused more on individual work in order to maintain the discipline among students, isolated me more from my classmates, family and society. I was too afraid of talking due to the possibility of making mistakes and avoided the physical education class just not to be around others.
As I grew up, I started to act differently and my shyness level suffered an erosion; especially in high school where it was mandatory to have debates, group work and oral presentation. Now that I am twenty two years old, I consider myself a friendly and extrovert person. I am now into spending time with friends, going out from time to time, meeting new people, etc. I even became the clown of the family.
I've changed a lot during these years and people who met me before, don't even recognize me now. They think I've become a different person.
If I were asked to give an advice to shy people, I would encourage them to get out of their confort zone. Sometimes we feel too comfortable in a specific place, but it doesn't mean that's the best for us.