4 Friend Making Skills

Friends are a good thing. This is going to come as a surprise to, oh, say NOBODY. I think we all pretty much recognize, accept, and are aware of the fact that having friends in our lives greatly enhances our quality of life. Name almost any hobby you enjoy and it will be better with friends (Obviously there are a FEW exceptions to this rule! ) Even though most of us are keenly aware of the fact that we could probably use some really good friends, not all of us are so great at MAKING friends! It can be really difficult to take things from, "Hi, my name is Josh" to, "Wanna hang out?". Or is it? I am no expert here, but I do enjoy making friends and experience has taught me there are a few ways that help push people toward having more friends.

1. Be Friendly
Now this might seem overly obvious, but we often need to focus on this first part. People are attracted to nice people. A smile can go a long way. Sometimes all that is standing int the way of having friends is, well, us! Try this: Strike up a conversation with a stranger every day for a week. You won't meet new people and have new friends if you don't start!

2. Be Hospitable

Hospitality goes a LONG way in the friendship game. Invite people to your place. Set up a dinner part. Ask people to go to dinner, a movie, the park, the golf course, on a run, or really to anything. You don't always have to wait for some perfect event to mix it up with people. See someone who looks like a cool person? Ask them if they want to watch some football, or grab coffee some time. As a general rule, people are willing to chat and make friends, but SOMEONE has to start the conversation. Why not let that be you?

3. Be Adventurous

I think most of us are held back just because we are worried about the unknown. Will people reject me? Will they be nice? What if they are serial killers? Will they think I am boring? You can ask yourself a million questions and the only way to know is to try! I have made friends simply by seeing some Indian fellows playing Cricket and I asked them to show me how to play. They LOVED teaching me how to do something they were passionate about. I learned a new sport and made 5 new friends. Try new things and you will find that you meet new people. Don't be boring. Get there and make some friends!

4. Be Observant

People like being noticed. Keep your eyes open and start SEEING people. Most of the time when we are going about our business, we often only pay attention to our own business. However, there are AWESOME people all around us and it's time we started noticing them. I remember once I noticed a guy in the gym doing a workout that seemed like mine so I asked him about it. We both were doing Crossfit and he was a trainer at the gym and is from Ireland! Cut to a few weeks later and I had the chance to go with him and compete in an adventure race. All because I noticed his workout looked like mine. BOOM. Friend made. 

So there ya go. 4 ways to start making some friends. Here is the bottom line. You'll start making friends when you make it a priority. Put yourself out there and be a friendly, hospitable, adventurous, and observant friend maker.

Now, it's your turn to give me some feedback. What is the most unusual way you have ever met one of your friends? 

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