Is it normal i'm shy?

I'm really shy. I have always found it hard to talk to people. I tense up and get nervous and often avoid people, I grew up with barely any friends but it's only just really started to bother me, over the years I have got a lot better and when I manage to talk to someone (usually when someone speaks to me) it feels so good. Gives me a confidence boost and makes me feel normal.

I don't enjoy going to the pub or clubs much, I do go but not every week, I have a couple of groups of people who I have recently just met that I go to these places with sometimes.
But I just want to be able to talk to people and make friends, sometimes I've no idea what to say and I'm there with someone thinking about what to say and nothing comes out. I think I'll always be quiet and it's not that that bothers me it is what other people are thinking about me and looking at me.

The things I do are an art class which I started with my auntie so that was easy cause I had her, the swimming pool who I got talking to a lad and that just turned out to be friends but that was through my sister. And the gym were I'm just not sure how to start a convo because I'm worried what they'll think. It's so hard to get my words out.
I have a job which doesn't allow me to meet new people so it's hard for me cause I have to find other things. But I am pushing myself a lot.
I told my mother and she told me to be harder and push myself.
Then I think about getting a boyfriend and who it could be. Im on a dating site but I got talking to someone who came into work not sexually but I do fancy him, he comes often but not often enough, and he never chatted me up but he spoke to me and it was nice gave me a boost and I can't stop thinking about him so now the online dating thing is like I'm not interested in.

I don't know what I need, whether I need to be more confident with myself and just be myself but I find it so hard.
Like next time this lad comes I want to be come his friend even more.. I don't want to come across as someone who doesn't speak anymore. But around guys it's even harder for me because I go red or shy off or avoid it, or my voice gets really quiet.

When this lad first started coming I didn't even find him attractive at all. He's been coming for ages. But the past few times he's come I have felt something something that's got stronger and that I cannot shake off. I know he doesn't feel the same and I feel really stupid. But I just want to show him me and end up as friends. But I don't know how to make people notice me.

I'm going swimming tonight and there's a girl that goes, we have exchanged the odd word and we have smiled but that's another potentional friendship I could make but I just can't do it.
The things that bring me down is I don't go to the pub I don't have many friends and I don't talk much and I'm scared of being judged so sometimes I pretend I'm my head that I'm something I'm not because I'm scared people won't like me for me.
Help!