During the years in education most people have an abundance of friends, the reason being that you all do the same things each and every day, so naturally you will have groups of friends. When you become an adult however, there are far less places for you to make friends and whilst the workplace is often a place where people do make friends, not everyone likes the people that they work with. My old school friend Mack Prioleau and I were discussing this recently, talking about how after the age of 25 many acquaintances disappear and we fail to replace them. With this in mind then, I wanted to talk a little today about how you can make friends, even if you are an adult.
Groups and Clubs
Most friendships start because of a shared interest, this is how it was back in school, and in truth things haven’t changed too much. This is why it is a great idea to join clubs or groups which focus on the things that you enjoy doing. Let’s say that you have a passion for tennis for example, there are tennis clubs everywhere and many of them operate as a small community, putting together teams and working for the club. If you were to join a tennis club then you are putting yourself in a great position to make some new friends.
Opening Up
Many people actually miss the opportunity to make friends with people that they meet, because they believe that the other person may not wish to pursue a friendship. Even someone who has many friends will be more than happy to form a friendship with you, providing that they enjoy your company of course. If you have an interaction with someone and get on well, make sure that you follow up and arrange to meet up again. The notion is often that adults don’t meet as many people as kids do but the truth is that they do, they just don’t push enough to meet the person again.
Neighbors
We often think of the neighbors as being just the people who live near us, people who we will say hello to but beyond that we don’t interact with very much. If you are looking for friends however then reaching out to your neighbors could prove to be a very good idea. Making friends with your neighbors will not only provide you with more friends but it will also help you to feel more community spirited. Try inviting your neighbor around for a drink or a BBQ the next time that you see them, and have a chat with them beyond simply saying hello and asking how they are. You may find that you are surprised with how likable your neighbor is and you will probably realize that all this time you could have been friends with the person living closest to your home.
