Random thoughts about my romantic endeavors: Sitting here a little buzzed, I'm just thinking about how shitty it is to have social anxiety when you want to meet new people (mainly for romantic reasons). I have no idea how to talk to people and I drive girls away before I can show how nice, down to earth, and real I am. If women could just get past the initial awkwardness that comes with social anxiety, I could show them how good to them I would be, and then maybe I wouldn't be stuck being alone anymore. Because as much as I'm an introvert and a loner, I really miss falling asleep next to somebody.
There are many people out there who think of themselves as a good person with great qualities that make them deserving of having someone in their lives, but the reality is, attraction doesn't care about "deserves". You've described yourself as "nice, down to earth, and real". That's all fine and good, but you need to be fun or perceived as such. You're going to get what you go out there and take.
I can't profess to knowing step-by-step how one breaks out of their shyness shell, but for me personally, it took getting the shit kicked out of me in other aspects of life to reach a point of just not giving a shit anymore. As tragic as that may sound, it's an empowering place to be, although I wish it could have been sooner and through a different method.
However, once you do shed shyness and being overly self-conscious,
learn to dance. I know a lot of guys think they're too cool for it, but where do you generally find the women in clubs and bars? On the dance floor. You don't need to be the second coming of Michael Jackson, either. Hell, you can get by just swaying back and forth and some very basic moves. If you get a woman's attention on the dance floor, most of your work is done.