Life can get pretty lonely if you don’t know how to meet like-minded friends.
Today, I want to share with you the exact same process that I’ve used to figure out how to build a social circle from scratch.
What You'll Learn In This Post
1. Shift Your Perspective
As you get older, it’s easy to get caught up with work and other responsibilities that life throws at you.
The next thing you know, weeks, months, and sometimes even years go by and you haven’t gone out and met someone new.
Check out this video if you want to know how to have a social life when you work from home.
From my experience, most people struggle to build and maintain their connections because they never realized how important it is to do so.
This was definitely the case for me.
I was conditioned to think that if I went to school, got good grades, and got a good job, then everything else will take care of itself.
I actually did all of that.
After I graduated from school, I got a job working for a prestigious engineering company.
And even though it paid well, that’s when I realized that I also needed to learn how to be more social in order to be happy.
If you want to figure out how to meet like-minded friends, then you have to make it a priority.
Remember, all the money in the world means nothing if you don’t have anybody to share it with.
Life becomes so much more fulfilling when you have a close group of individuals who you connect with and support you as well.
2. Identify What Matters To You
You can’t help but be influenced by the people you’re around with all the time.
That’s why you have to be intentional when it comes to building your social circle.
Before you start putting yourself out there, you have to clarify what kind of friends you would like to make.
From Shy To Social
Discover proven steps to approach and talk to anybody no matter how shy you are.
To give you an example from my own life, I wanted to connect with other creative, fit, and ambitious individuals.
That’s why these days, I spend a lot of time at trendy coffee shops, personal development events, and group fitness classes.
I know that my kind of people are there and I also like going to those venues myself.
Before I figured this out, I was socializing at bars and clubs almost every weekend.
I didn’t realize that I had to be more intentional when I was figuring out how to make friends as an adult.
As a result, I wasted a lot of time and money showing up at the wrong places with not a whole lot to show for.
That’s why it’s so important to clarify what’s important to you.
Doing so will help you identify specific places and activities where you can connect with the right people much faster.
3. Start Educating Yourself
You don’t know what you don’t know until someone shows you how.
A big reason why most people struggle socially is that nobody taught them how to meet like-minded friends.
From what I’ve noticed, society just kinda expects you to figure this out on your own which doesn’t really make sense.
Check out this video if you want to know 15 ways to develop social skills as an introvert.
Remember, if you’re willing to invest time and money to help you advance professionally, you should be willing to do the same to learn how to be more socially confident.
If you’re socially inept, you’re going to miss out on a lot of opportunities that life has to offer.
For now, start the process of educating yourself by reading books, listening to podcasts, and watching videos around this topic.
But if you want to accelerate your progress, then I highly recommend you work with a social skills coach.
There will be no more guesswork because you’ll have a proven plan to follow, have someone give you feedback, and keep you accountable as well.
Remember, you talk to people every single day.
Developing your social confidence will help you create more meaningful connections in every area of your life.
4. Make Socializing A Habit
If you’re shy and quiet and you’re wondering how to meet like-minded friends, think of it like going to the gym.
The more days you show up and the more reps you put in, the faster you’ll grow.
The opposite is also true. If you don’t use your muscles, they will eventually atrophy.
The same ideas apply with regards to learning how to be social as an introvert.
The more you go out and the more people you approach, the faster you’ll overcome your social awkwardness.
That’s why I recommend you find a way to integrate connecting with new people on a consistent basis.
For example, instead of reading a book at home, go to a trendy coffee shop.
Join a fitness class instead of working out by yourself.
Have lunch with your co-workers instead of eating in your cubicle.
Do you see how that works?
Again, whatever you do, avoid any activity that isolates you.
5. Be Open To Receiving Help
If you want to know how to meet like-minded friends, you need to let go of your ego.
Instead of just doing it on your own, why not leverage your network?
All you have to do is ask your existing connections to connect you with other individuals who they think you’ll get along with.
Personally, I’ve used this strategy with great success when I was learning how to make friends in a new city.
In fact, I’m always surprised by how well it works.
Meeting people through your current social circle has a lot of benefits to it.
Not only is it an efficient way to expand your network, you’ll also have an instant rapport with whoever you meet.
Since a mutual connection brought both of you together, you’ll have something to talk about right away.
6. Do More Interesting Things
I hate to break it to you but if your regular schedule consists of just going to work and going home, something needs to change.
You can only talk about the same things over and over again for so long.
Remember, a boring life leads to boring conversations.
If you’re wondering how to never run out of things to say, you need to expose yourself to novel things.
Check out this podcast interview with Hafiz Mitha, Founder of Play City, where he talks about the importance of play in adulthood.
To help you get started, ask yourself what’s something that you’ve always wanted to learn.
Make a list and pick the ones that have a built-in social component to it.
That way, you get to develop a new skill while learning how to meet like-minded friends.
For example, you can join a co-ed volleyball group.
You can take up kickboxing.
You can also sign up for any partner-style dance classes like salsa.
Imagine how easy it is to strike up a conversation with someone who enjoys the same things as you?
As you can see, this whole process doesn’t have to be complicated.
You just need to be very intentional with how you go about it.
In fact, doing more interesting things is one of the best confidence-building exercises that I know.
Not to mention, acquiring new skills will make you a high-value person as well.
7. Keep An Open Mind
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place to stay at home and binge on Netflix.
Personally, I think those activities could be a great way to decompress after a long day at work.
But if you want to learn how to meet like-minded friends, you have to put yourself out there more often.
As intimidating as it could be, say “yes” and accept all valid invitations from others.
Keep an open mind and try things you normally wouldn’t.
You never know what types of adventures you can get into when you get out of the house.
I can’t even begin to tell you how many cool experiences I’ve had because I just decided to step outside of my comfort zone.
At the end of the day, building an awesome social circle is still going to be a number’s game.
That’s why you’ll want to create as many opportunities as you can to socialize and connect with people.
8. Leverage The Internet
Because of how often we use technology and social media these days, a lot of people feel more comfortable interacting with strangers online.
I’ve personally met a lot of amazing individuals on the internet.
Those connections have translated to incredible opportunities both personally and professionally.
If you’re wondering how to meet friends with similar interests online, it’s actually quite simple.
You just have to remember that the same rules apply to making offline connections.
All you have to do is to identify what kind of people you want to meet and then figure out which corner of the web they hang out.
If you’re wondering about some apps to meet like-minded friends, start with major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Whichever platform you prefer, make sure your profile gives off the right impression.
You need to have quality photos and communicate your personality through the types of content that you put out there.
And then, you can reach out to other people just by commenting on something specific about their profile and their posts as well.
Once you have a few backs and forth, see if they’d be open to hop on a video call and eventually, connect in person.
It’s really that simple.
9. Take The Initiative
People are always looking for interesting things to do.
When you take the initiative and plan something out, you stand out in a very positive way.
If you’re wondering how to find friends with similar interests, one of the best ways to do it is by hosting your own events.
By taking the lead and building a community of like-minded individuals, that’s going to add a lot of value to your existing network.
You’ll also want to encourage whoever comes to your get-togethers to bring interesting people that they know.
Chances are, your current friends know other individuals that would be great for you to connect with.
This strategy works great especially if you’re busy, you want to keep in touch with your network and you want to meet new people as well.
Your events don’t even have to be anything elaborate or complicated.
Personally, I live in a small apartment and I don’t like cleaning up.
That’s why I usually just call up a restaurant, make reservations, and invite everyone out for drinks.
Hosting your own events is also a great way to tap into other people’s networks.
Naturally, those who come to your get-togethers will want to reciprocate and invite you to their parties as well.
10. Be Persistent
A common mistake that I see a lot of shy people commit is that they give up way too quickly.
This is especially true if they don’t see results right away.
When they get turned down, they make it about them and they beat themselves up mentally.
If this sounds like you, I want to remind you that developing any skill set takes time.
Tired Of Feeling Lonely?
If you’re struggling socially and would like some help, let’s connect.
Imagine you’re watching a kid learn how to walk.
You wouldn’t just tell him to stop trying if he fell down, right?
If you’re wondering how to make friends as an adult, you have to manage your expectations.
In order to grow, you have to be willing to experience a little bit of discomfort.
In fact, when you do, that’s a sign that you’re making progress because you’re doing something haven’t done before.
In your journey to building a quality network, anticipate that you’re going to make mistakes.
You’re going to have weird moments and not everybody is going to like you.
And you know what?
That’s totally okay.
In order to succeed socially, you just have to keep at it.
My advice to you is to consistently evaluate your progress on a weekly basis.
Take the time to identify what you’re doing well and what you still need to work on.
And then, make adjustments accordingly.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering how to meet like-minded friends, I just shared with you my best tips.
Feel free to go through them again and implement them as much as you can.
And now, let’s turn it to you.
Which one of these tips are you going to implement first?
Are you going to make socializing a habit or on doing more interesting things?
Send me a message on Instagram and let me know.