Simple Ways YOU Can Find Friends Even as an Adult!
The miracle of friendship goes through a checkered history. There are really scads of types of friendships: Sandbox friends, bank neighbors from school days, or study and work colleagues with whom sometimes even lifelong bonds can be forged. On the other hand, even the best and most stable friendships can fall apart after years and decades, and for a variety of reasons. Conversely, years of losing track of each other never harm a really good friendship. You simply pick up where you left off a long time ago. It is a mistake to think that friendships have to be made at a young age. Like much else in life, friendship is timeless and never too early and certainly never too late. In this article, we'd like to share with you 7 very simple ways to still make new friends in adulthood.
1. Dedicate yourself to existing friendships
Life sometimes just drives friends apart and especially in different directions. This can involve spatial changes as well as individual life plans that at some point are no longer compatible with each other. People who start families, for example, have their hands full trying to somehow manage this new phase of their lives. Single friends who are allowed to concentrate on their careers or a self-determined life are then left out in the cold. Not because there is nothing more to say to each other or nothing more to share. Rather, it's the nature of parents meeting other parents, singles meeting other singles, and scarce free time being focused on everyone's needs. If you find yourself here, you're in plenty of good company. But the good news is that real friendships with depth never completely dissolve. They may remain in limbo for a few years. But if you want to, you can always revive them. It's certainly worth a try. In the age of Facebook, Instagram and the like, it's also very easy to find friends you thought had disappeared and get back in touch with them. You don't even have to leave the house to do it.
2. Be direct and precise
It has been proven that there are no real psychics among us humans. If we want to get where we want to go, sometimes we have to show our colors and put our cards on the table. Unlike romantic advances, where fear of rejection can sometimes get in the way, this shouldn't be a hindrance in friendships. So when you meet someone you find interesting and likable, give her or him a sincere compliment. This way you break the ice and create favorable conditions for deepening this acquaintance. If you are sure that every potential for a solid new friendship lies dormant, be precise and open on this point as well. No one can guess your thoughts and the interpersonal sphere is known to be anything but self-explanatory.
3. What games do you like to play?
Chess, tennis, golf or volleyball - if there's something from this area that you've always liked to do but somehow lost track of, now would be a good time to start again. There are few better ways to meet new people than team sports or the like. This kind of contact initiation brings several advantages with it. The people you will meet there at least already share a passion with you. This makes it much easier to search for and find a basis for conversation. It also doesn't matter if you don't hit it off with a new acquaintance. The getting to know in the context of a sporty activity takes place informally and very unbound, if no friendly spark jumps over, that’s also fine. The fun of enjoying a rediscovered sporting or playful activity still remains.
4. Join networks, associations or clubs
There's hardly an area now that can't boast a following. If sports and games aren't your interests, maybe they lie somewhere in the cultural or scientific realm. There are cooking circles, literary or musical societies, book clubs, debating societies, and any number of clubs that welcome any new member. Also, group trips, as daunting as that word may sound to you, are excellent ways to meet like-minded people. A good and gentle way to get started would be to take a class, seminar or workshop at an adult education facility.
5. Start your own community of interest
For those who say you can only join existing networks and groups, get inventive and start your own inner circle. Search the web or the old-fashioned way on a bulletin board for like-minded people. Many people feel the same way you do. They are just waiting for such a call and opportunity.
6. Become a host
An almost extinct art is hosting dinner parties and societies. What used to be part of good manners is now hardly known as a cultural highlight. The great advantage of such formal invitations, managing friends is thus possible even despite a busy schedule. There is a fixed time and place and the guest list is manageable. You can bring together people you think would have a lot to tell each other. Such meetings are ideal to see new acquaintances or friends regularly. It usually becomes customary for the hosts to take turns anyway, so you can enjoy the relaxed pleasure of being just the guest in between.
7. Be interested first and only then interesting
We also get to know lots of people later in life. Whether in a professional or private context, very few of us remain an island. If you're secretly on the lookout for potential new friendships, it's helpful to approach new acquaintances with a different perspective. While we usually tend to mainly make a good impression ourselves and put ourselves in the best possible light, we should turn the tables here. When first getting to know someone, it can be useful to focus on our counterpart, not on our external appearance. Listen carefully to what she or he has to say. Ask questions, nothing too indiscreet of course, and really get to know this person. According to studies, active listening not only makes us immediately more likable. It also helps us learn as much as we can about the person we're talking to, not to mention a general learning effect. If you feel this person might be on the same wavelength as you, try to find common ground. Now comes the point where you are allowed to reveal and tell a little bit about yourself. You will soon notice whether delicate bonds of a possible friendship can develop here.
Today’s Conclusion: Meeting on equal footing
The great advantage of friendships made as an adult is the life experience and standing that you undoubtedly bring with you. Your character is consolidated, your interests have clearly crystallized over the years. One knows one's limits and has clear ideas about what to do with one another. While in childhood and adolescence, intuition and gut feeling are still lacking, we can now fall back on them. They are important indicators when meeting new people. If they say no, we should absolutely believe this judgment. That's it for today.