Making new friends is not something most of us find particularly easy. Au contraire. For many of us, it can be quite daunting. There are a plethora of reasons for why that is so, and the ever-expanding online world isn’t helping at all, but there’s hope, my friend. There are some easy tips you can use to meet new people and expand your social circle.
I’ve just heard a joke:
How do introverts make friends?
10% of the time they don’t
90% of the time an extrovert found them, liked them, and adopted them.
In all seriousness, making new friends is not as hard as you might think. We’re all just humans after all. We tend to think that we’re the only ones with problems and insecurities, we don’t acknowledge that other people might be just as shy or introverted as we are, if not even more. Getting lost in our own little whirlpool of insecurities paralyzes us, and makes us unaware of the fact that the person in front of us may be just as scared of making new friends as we are.
Very few people are blessed with charm and charisma that leaves people speechless. When meeting new people we don’t really look for that. You don’t have to jump through hoops for people to like you, all it takes to leave a good impression is to be decent and normal, and just be yourself.
Utilize connections you already have
Chances are you’ve already met a lot of nice people over time, but for whatever reason, you’ve lost touch. It happens, people move, they get too busy, life happens and we lose touch with people we once enjoyed spending our time with, but that doesn’t mean it has to stay like that. If you’ve lost touch with an old friend, who knows, maybe they’ll be happy to catch up.
There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to old friends. Catch up, reminisce about good old times, who knows, you might have more in common now than you had back then. If not, at least you had a nice trip down memory lane.
How many times have someone called you to hang out, and you just couldn’t be bothered to actually leave your house? They’re cool, you kinda enjoy spending time with them, but you just didn’t want to leave the comfort of your bed. Well, that’s cool if you have 15 more friends waiting in line to spend time with you, but if making new friends is what you’re looking for, then ghosting people is a big fat no-no.
Plus you can only say a few consecutive no’s, after 3 or 4 times, they’ll just stop calling. Which is perfectly fine if you don’t like them. If you do, however, don’t let your laziness cost you some good friendships.
Hanging out with your colleagues is another great way to instantly broaden your social circle. Some people are hesitant to hang out with people they work with, but I don’t see why that should be the case. Humans are social creatures after all.
Embrace hanging out with people you work with more often. Have lunch together, go out every once in a while. Why not?
Take the right approach when making new friends
Adopting some basic principles can come in really handy when it comes to how you should approach making new friends, and meeting new people in general. Advice you’ll usually get can vary from jokes to tell to break the awkward silence, to tips on how to make a good impression. But, having the sensitivity of the topic in mind, I’d like to suggest an approach that is a bit more holistic and sincere.
Be yourself
Being true to yourself is actually one of the most life-changing habits one can adopt, and when it comes to making new friends its importance is emphasized even more.
There’s something intriguing about people who are comfortable being themselves, it’s almost a magnetic force that draws people towards you.
Be open
Just saying that you want to make new friends and meet new people, and actually being open to letting it happen are two completely different things. Being open means not being shy when you’re in a group, it means not cockblocking yourself. Staying open to the possibility of making friends with new people that come into your life opens the doors for that to really happen.
Be genuine
Genuine people tend to make other people feel respected. They’re not motivated by getting things out of people, they’re generous and they don’t pass judgment. When making new friends is one of your priorities, developing your genuineness and letting it shine is your safest bet.
Develop real interest in the person
Being a good listener’s one of the most desirable qualities in a man, it’s not a secret. But developing a real interest in people you interact with is like a good listener on coke.
Ways of actually making new friends
Once you’ve taken care of the opportunities that are already presented to you, now it’s time to start mingling. Making new friends and meeting new people can sometimes feel more daunting than it actually is. But the truth is, it doesn’t have to be that way. As soon as you start putting yourself in the right kind of situations, meeting new people can become as simple as it should be.
Pursue your passion and connect with likeminded people
One of the most assured ways to meet like-minded people is to follow your passion and connect with people who enjoy the same things as you. Honestly, it’s one of the best ways to ‘kill two birds with one stone’.
Is there anything more rewarding than hanging out and spending time with people you share hobbies and interests with? Well, in terms of bonding with like-minded people there sure isn’t.
Attend different workshops, classes or courses
There are so many ways to meet amazing people from all walks of life by attending different workshops or courses. Going to the gym, taking up martial arts, yoga, photography course, different sports activities, when it comes to making new friends and meeting new people through such activities, the options are basically unlimited.
It might be as easy as walking a dog
Did you know that over 50% of dog owners believe their dog has helped boost their confidence and made it easier to talk to strangers?
Apparently, when a dog breaks the ice it’s very easy to keep the conversation going.
The benefits of having a best friend who’s always happy to see you are obviously far greater, but making some new friends while doing your chores is a fine and dandy bonus.
Manking new friends through volunteering
Doing something for a good cause is beautiful, and taking into account that terrible people are rarely to be seen volunteering you might make some amazing friends while making a difference.
Go to parties, bars, clubs. Wherever just don’t stay home
If your social life is not the richest, and you wish to add some spice to it, then the last place you wanna hang out at is your own home. Go out. Take every chance you get to put yourself out there.
Try making some new online friends
Join some online communities
This might be one of the fastest and easiest ways to meet people who share your views and interests. There are millions of online communities, and the chance of finding a few nice people is pretty decent. Engage in different conversations, share your views with people, let people get a glimpse of who you are, and the right people will find you.
Try out some apps
I’m not a huge proponent of meeting people through apps because the whole concept seems to be catering to the shallowest of your instincts, but if nothing else it’s worth a shot. Except that, who knows maybe it’ll work for you. Give it a go. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Conclusion
It’s no secret that a lot of us struggle with meeting new people, but we make it even harder than it has to be. In fact, once we manage to shut down that little voice in our heads that makes everything worse, and actually approach people with an open heart and an open mind, we see that it’s not that hard.
People love it when they meet someone new who’s nice and friendly, and there’s absolutely no reason to keep it to yourself any longer. Go out, show people how nice you really are, allow your true self to be brought to the surface, and I’m sure people will love it. Trust me, you’ll love it even more.