Serenity, I also have a hard time holding a gaze and tend to avoid eye contact altogether. I once was confronted by a boss who said that he didn't trust people who couldn't look him in the eye... he thought they were devious. I had to explain to him about how it isn't necessarily a devious intent when someone, like me, can't look him in the eye. It could easily mean intimidation or sheer terror or lack of self esteem. I hope he believed me. It kinda sent me for a loop to have him talk to me about it. I also had to confide something vulnerable to him to prove my innocence.... that really put me on the spot. I wish you success in your eye2eye endeavors. I think I am getting better at it with practice and psyching myself out to feel more confident when I can.