You want to love life?! Having an amazing group of friends around you when you are laughing and joking together is the best feeling! And you can have it with just a few simple steps…
Say YES!!!
If you want to rejuvenate your social life and find some awesome new friends, you will need to be open to new experiences and people. Think of this as the time when you’re choosing your tribe.
Say yes to anything you’re invited to and follow up to make it happen.
Break free from the chains
Get up and move. Wear something that makes you feel at your best and leave the house. This may feel uncomfortable if you’re used to staying inside all the time. Go with it.
Pushing yourself to go outside without the pressure of interacting with people allows you to get used to it. Just being outside can feel like a big achievement if you’re not used to it. After a few weeks, you’ll feel like this is a normal part of your life.
Who do you like?
We can spend so much time worrying about why people might not like us, that we forget about the kinds of people we can CHOOSE to have in our lives. Do you want to hang out with someone with a dry sense of humour? Someone who’s an introvert? The life of the party? Someone arty or sporty?
Think about whether you’d like to learn something new with someone or to find someone who reflects who you already are. This will give you an idea of where you can more likely find them, and save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
Think about your goals
You can choose to simply enjoy your time with someone over a cup of tea, or join a dance class just for fun. But if there’s something you’ve always wanted to learn, why not try it out and make friends at the same time?
Perhaps now is the time to learn Portuguese or become a flame thrower, or begin playing Dungeons and Dragons. Book clubs will keep you on track with reading. Swimming clubs will keep you fit. Whatever it is, YOU should be a part of the equation. And the more excited you are to do something, the more magnetic you will become, so you will easily make connections.
Say something, anything
Sometimes breaking the ice is all it takes. Just saying ‘hi’ can lead to a world of possibilities. So allow yourself the grace to mess up, to say something stupid, and to ask the question that’s on your mind.
Taking this simple step shows people that you’re open to a conversation. If they’re not interested, you can just move on quickly to someone who is.
Ask people to hang out
This is an obvious one. Many times all it takes to build an awesome group of friends is to ask.
If you’re not in the habit of doing this, it can seem scary, but you’d be surprised how many social connections you can make by just suggesting an activity you like.
If you’re at work and you get on well with colleague, ask them to go somewhere you both might like. Or, if you’ve already met someone at a group meetup, suggest an activity that you know you’ll both like, such as writing comic books or teaching them how to play the oboe.
Increasing your familiarity with this one person will lead to a deeper relationship in the long run. Then you can ask them if they have any other buddys you can hang out with together. And boom – you have friends.
Be there
When you do actually manage to meet someone, put all of the chaos that life brings with it to the side, and just focus on that person. This is a time to let go of your inhibitions and feel alive in the moment, so try to relax! Have the intention (if you can) to have fun and feel carefree. Laugh heartily and enjoy your time together.
If they share their feelings with you, be present. When people feel like they’re being listened to, and you’re actually there, that’s a rare thing. That care and attention will set you apart and make you a good potential friend.
Go to group meets
If you have a particular interest or hobby, there will be many group meet ups you can try. This is convenient because, if you get on with the group, you have a ready-made friendship group to hang out with.
Once you’ve met with the group once or twice, you can suggest a few of you do a different activity. For example, if you’re a writer’s group, suggest you go to a gig sometime. Moving to a different setting shows you genuinely like each other and takes the relationship to a deeper level.
Invite people out
If you have always wanted to hang out on the beach with friends, then no one is going to make it happen but you. Ask a lot of people you know and like to come, make sure there are enough drinks and snacks, and that people are likely to have a good time with some positive and relaxing music.
Ask friends to ask friends, or their partners to come as well.
This can apply to anything and if you want to make a regular thing of it, you can send an invite again whenever you feel like it.
Fluff
Life is made up of some core things: a career, a home, family, and your friends.
One or two of these can fall off the wagon at any one time, but if you have good friends to pick you up and tell you they’re there for you, this can be a Godsend.
Juicy July is all about fun, being social, being abundant and living your best life! Drink up the summer and make life juicy!