How to Make Friends

There's a certain beauty in being a lone wolf. You have more time to do things you want to do, like take introspective walks, read books, write poetry, and other solitary endeavors. If you want to diversify your options, though, there are literally billions of potential friends in the world. What's more, many of these people want to make friends just as much as you do. So follow these steps to meet new people and form strong, lasting friendships.

1. Spend more time around people.
If you want to make friends, you first need to put yourself out there somehow. Friends don't come knocking on your door while you sit at home watching TV. If the people you're already around (e.g. at work or school) aren't friend material for whatever reasons, it's not the end of the world.


2.Talk to people.
You can join a club, go to school, or go to church, and you still won't make friends if you don't actually talk to people. By the same token, you don't have to be involved with an organization to talk to people, and any time you talk to someone, you have a chance at making a lasting friend. You can talk to anybody: the clerk at the video store, the person sitting next to you on the bus, or the person in front of you on the lunch line. Don't be picky. Most conversations will be a dead-end of sorts, in that you may never talk to that person again or you'll just remain acquaintances, but once in a while you'll actually make a friend.

3.Initiate a get-together.
You can chat your heart out but it won't get you far if you don't open up the opportunity for another meeting. This is especially important if you meet someone who you aren't otherwise likely to meet again. Seize the day!

4.Be a good friend.
Once you've started spending time with potential friends, remember to do your part or else the friendship will dissolve as soon as it materializes.

5.Choose your friends wisely.
As you befriend more people, you might find that some are easier to get along with than others. While you should always give people the benefit of the doubt, sometimes you realize that certain friendships are unhealthy, such as if the person is obsessively needy towards you, or constantly critical, or introducing dangers or threats into your life. If this is the case, ease your way out of the friendship as gracefully as possible. Preoccupy yourself with other things, such as a new volunteer opportunity, so that you can honestly say that you don't have enough time in your schedule to spend time with them (but don't substitute that time for other friends; they may notice and become jealous, and drama will ensue). Cherish those friends you make who are a positive influence in your life, and do your best to be a positive influence in theirs.

Adapted from: www.wikihow.com/Make-Friends