Finding friends as an adult is like streaking through the alumni football game. What? ha! Does that even make sense. But think about it; how hard would it be for you to make the decision to strip down and run? Um, like extremely hard. Finding friends as a kid was easy. we just stripped and ran and didn’t even thing twice. We would walk right up to someone and start talking. So, when did everything get so hard?
Somewhere along the way, we grew up. Life started getting bogged down with responsibilities and plans for the future. While much of this is exciting, what begins to happen is we start laying aside our childhood, is we unintentionally put aside our innate ability to make friends easily.
Don’t believe me? Think back to when a trip to the playground ended in a ‘new best friend’ after about 20 minutes of sharing the swings with a stranger. Now ask yourself, when is the last time you connected that quickly with someone new?
Challenges
The problem is, adult friendships are crucial, not just to our mental well-being, but to our physical health as well. Science provides us with the information that having friends leads to less stress, less chance of heart disease, and longer life. As business owners we focus on working our business. On expanding our network to increase our business success. When in reality, what we really need to do is ensure we have friends to laugh and cry with along the road we call life.
My clients refer to me as their Business BFF because as much as we focus on their business goals, I also embrace the approach that you need a safe place to let it all out. That looks like a 5-minute dumping of all that is going on inside and outside of the business. Your spouse for the most part wants to hear and support you but in the end, you need someone who is going to support you with also providing solutions to your challenges. Your friends, that’s not their ongoing roll when it comes to your business.
So, where do we find these new friends? Here are a few ideas to think about:
Try an App
Hey!VINA works much like a dating app, but with one very significant difference. Here the goal is to find someone with like interests you may want to befriend. A quick swipe of your finger starts a conversation, leading to a connection and eventually, friendship.
Try a Meetup
Looking for some fun group activities in your area? Meetup.com is easy to use on your computer, tablet, or phone. Here you search for events of interest to you. You find a variety of groups who like to engage in those activities, giving yourself a chance to meet several interesting people at once.
Learn Something
Signing up for a class allows you to indulge in a new interest at the same time as meeting someone new. Always wanted to cook gourmet dinners? Been thinking about taking flying lessons? Whatever interests you, this is a surefire way to meet new people.
Grab a Book
Your local library or independent bookstore is a great place to indulge a love of reading while at the same time, getting to know someone new. Book clubs stimulate you intellectually and introduce you to people in the community who share a love for the written word.
Take a Walk with a Furry Friend
If you have a dog, why not explore more than your own backyard? By taking Fido to your local dog park, you’ll have an opportunity to meet other dog lovers, while at the same time, giving your faithful friend a chance for a little puppy socialization. This is a win all around!
Meeting people doesn’t have to be complicated. Opportunities truly are everywhere. So be bold and try something new. You’ll be glad you did!
Continue the Finding friends as an adult conversation in the SpringBoard to Success group.