THE WAY TO MAKE FRIENDS

To be honest, I don’t need any new friends. I have considered what it would be like to have a few, though. And if I wanted to add a few names to my friend list, I could go about it in the following ways. So, these are my tips for anyone who wants to open up their friend circle.

NOTE: THESE ARE MY TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS. NOT WHO TO BE FRIENDS WITH. MAYBE THAT WILL COME LATER.

Smile

I’ve noticed that whenever I meet a group of people, I will be more drawn to the person who smiles the most. A smile can go a long way. It makes you appear to be more approachable and would encourage a stranger to engage with you.

Back when I had a roommate, she would constantly tell me to smile more. Because that is honestly not something I do a lot. And this makes me intimidating to some. So many people that I’ve come to know have told me that on our first encounter, their impression of me was that I was unfriendly and cold. And this is before I could ever say a word to them! I haven’t changed that about myself. I don’t mind coming off as unfriendly. It’s only upon engaging with me that I win people over. So, that’s pretty interesting to me. It is interesting how much we judge someone just by what you see, before they ever even address you.

Make Conversation

Since you probably want to make a new friend, you will have to talk to that person. In other words, you’ve got to shoot your friend shot.

Maybe you’ll come across someone while you’re waiting in line, and overhear that person on the phone with someone else. The things that they’ll say could pique your interest, or maybe you’ll just like how they look. Once they get off the call, you could shoot your friend shot by complimenting them. Really, wherever you are, and whomever you want to befriend, there will always be a conversation starter.

My suggestion is that you compliment the person. Everyone wants positive feedback. Or perhaps you don’t want to come across as a stan. In that instance, you could casually make conversation about something you observe in that vicinity. My point is, find a conversation starter. There always is one.

Invite your New Acquaintance out with You

So, you’ve met someone you like. A potential friend. The next step is to show that person that you are interested in being friends with them. And one thing that friends do is that they spend time in one another’s company for enjoyment.

My own experience of this is that when I was in my freshman year of university, I had several roommates. And there was this girl who seemed to want to be my friend. At a point, she invited me out to a party with her. It ended up being fun. And at the end of that experience, we were more than casual acquaintances.

Apps and Social Media Interaction

With the way the world has become digitized, I would highly recommend this tip. And the reason for this is that sometimes those connections you seek and the people you will truly relate to, are far away.

As a teenager, the only social media account that I had was Google+. I joined a network there, of teens from all over the world. And we would share memes before they became popular. People in the community I was a part of (a community for teens) would post pictures of themselves and other bits of their lives. And just like with social media today, one could comment on that and then interact privately via the messaging app. It was amazing to meet people I could have scintillating conversations with. And even if we never would get to meet face to face, I was okay with that. It was just a simple pleasure to know that after school, I could interact with other teens from all over the world.

These days, there are actually apps specifically for the purpose of making friends. So maybe, you could try that out. But I caution you to watch out for scammers. Those are everywhere now.

And that concludes my four tips for making friends.

And while there is no rulebook on who to become friends with, my advice is that you always use your discretion. It is perfectly fine to have only a handful of friends and have the others as acquaintances. I think it is also fine to have no friends (but not everyone is cut out for that). The way I see it, I am my own best friend. 🙂🙂🙂