Susan wrote in Dare to Connect, “When making new friends, it is important to be who you are. If someone likes who you are, you have a new friend. If someone doesn’t like who you are, no problem—just move on to the next person. Eventually you end up with a friend who wants to be with you because of who you truly are, not who you pretend to be or who they want you to be.”
A good place to start being yourself is by participating in activities that interest you. The workplace, school, or your place of worship are great places to start looking for friends, but there are so many other ways to go about meeting new people. Many of them will require that you step out of your comfort zone, but isn’t that why we are here?
First off, what are your interests, your hobbies? Do you like playing or watching sports? Maybe you like hiking or archery? Perhaps you like to do crafts or read? Many of your interests may seem like they are solitary endeavors, but there are like-minded people out there. There is a club for everything; you just have to do a little digging to find the ones that suit you. Social media has made it easier than ever to find people with similar interests.
But you say all the people with similar interests live far away from you. If that is the case, then it’s time to dig harder. Try some websites that help people connect over shared interests (not dating sites!), such as Meetup.com, Eventbrite.com, or Wegodo.com.
Volunteering is also a wonderful way to meet new people while making a difference. There are websites that can help you find opportunities in your area, such as Volunteermatch.org, Createthegood.org, or Doinggoodtogether.org.
Whatever it is you like, there will be opportunities to make friends with similar interests. There is never a better time to make new friends that right now.
And you can start the journey by discussing this further on Susan Jeffers’ Facebook page.