musclebound: When I was going through puberty I truly hated my Dad. Which was a big change from earlier years. He was a big burly guy that couldn't keep his hands off of you. He hugged, wrestled, kissed, and fought with his five boys everyday. He would make you do all kinds of shit you didn't want to do. ESPECIALLY if you didn't want to do it. He taught me to swim by pushing me out of a boat in the middle of a lake. He would dare you do anything and call you a pussy until you did it just to shut him up. Years later it finally clicked that my Dad had taught me to have confidence in myself and take risks. AND he did it with little things while I was still young enough that he could put his arm around me and tell me how brave he thought I was.

Asking a girl out is a terrifying thing to do. It is only reasonable for it to make you nervous. Accept that and at least you won't be embarassed to feel the way you do.

To build your self-cofidence, start with some easier things. Make a list of things you would like to try some day. And start with the easiest one. As you try them your confidence will grow. Even if you fail, you'll become accustomed to trying new things and learning from failure. It's just part of growing up. Most guys continue this process all their lives because risk-taking can be a hell of a lot of fun. I suspect you'd have more buddies if you gave it a try...

Some things that are a little bit risky:

Call in a request to a local radio station
Take a karate class, or try to learn something that you find a little intimadating
Buy a shirt that looks funky or has a smart saying on it that will catch peoples attention

you get the idea...