If you’re looking to make new connections, think not only about new things you can do, but things you can do that have frequency associated with them.
It’s significantly more difficult to make a new connection, who you can stay connected with for an ongoing period of time, after only one meeting/ interaction.
It becomes increasingly easier to make that ongoing connection with each additional meeting/interaction opportunity you have with them.
Think about the connections you have in your life right now. How many of them did you meet just once and then got their contact info and then started hanging out with? …And how many of them did you meet through school or work or a sport or a hobby—something that had a frequency associated with it?
I’m willing to bet most of your friends are from the latter group.
And so, moving forward, if you’re feeling lonely and/or like you want to add some new connections to your life, think about what you can add to your schedule that has an ongoing frequency that also brings a reoccurring group of people to it.
Things like:
- Sport Leagues
- Book Clubs
- Poetry Reading Series
- Craft Workshops
- Skill Building Classes
- And so on…
And stop beating yourself up about not making new connections from things like:
- Bars
- Clubs
- Concerts
- Hikes
- Festivals
- And so on…
…And as an added bonus, remember that the best approach, paradoxically, is to go into these opportunities for connection with the intention of connecting better with yourself. Do things that you’re excited to do; that you look forward to doing; that you want to tell people about…
…The connection(s) will almost always take care of itself/themselves.