My time in BDSM has undoubtably given me more confidence to just be myself. Having a community of people where I can be the real me (not to mention discovering a lot about who the real me actually is) will have that effect on a person. I used to be extremely shy. I am still fairly shy, it's just part of my character to generally be the quiet one who observes. Though granted, among close friends, I've been known to get a bit louder.