A Dynamic Mentality

Hey Friends! Hope all of you are doing well and are enjoying life.

Wanted to hop on here to talk about something that has been on my mind since… well, graduating college back in 2020.

And its this thing called making friends.

How crazy is it that we’ve gone from being so used to being around people in social settings and talking to people in between classes/ in our classes and then get to a place where we are sitting alone in our apartments/childhood bedrooms contemplating what to do for dinner or what plans there are for the upcoming weekend?

That was a loaded question, lol

But do you get what I mean?

It’s like all of a sudden our best years have gone by and we’ve taken it for granted..?

All the friends we had.

All the numbers stored in our phones.

The groupchats we were once a part of.

On the one hand, we understand that as we move through life, as we change and evolve… Our interests do too and maybe our taste in people change.

Or maybe just simply… we lose touch with the people we said we would definitely be in touch with at one point or another.

When did it get to be so hard to make new friends?

Especially as a twenty-something?

We’re often out here thinking,

“huh, was it always this hard making friends?”

or was it just easy because we had a common interest and just happened to be at the right place at the right time?

I mean whatever the case may be, just know that your feelings are valid and that we’ll get through this together.

So if all of this hit a nail on the head, I want you to…

take a deep breath, exhale and repeat after me

“I am capable of making new friends, wherever I am in my life”

and I mean it.

so if you haven’t guessed already, today’s post is going to highlight ways you can make friends, post grad

Let’s get into it.

Work

If you’re out here, grinding and making a living for yourself in a full-time job or otherwise, congrats!

Work is where we spend the majority of our lives lol.

Regardless of the work you do, you get to learn so many different skills and meet some really interesting people too.

So I graduated in the middle of the pandemic (class of 2020-woot woot) and it was hard to land a job in my intended field, so I worked at Target!

I took on a full-time job at target, while i was job searching.

and it was honestly such a great experience for that time I was there, everyone was so nice.

While some days were harder than others, being able to have co-workers I can ask questions, rant and laugh with was fun for the time I was there.

When I eventually got my big break at the place that I work at now, it was pretty cool.

My team and I would have these virtual happy hours where we would play games and learn more about each other through chatting through some of the shows we were watching and movies we were hooked on, among other things.

When the office started opening back up and everyone was getting into a rhythm of going in, we had in-person happy hours.

I got to be around people who were in my same industry and well, we made sure to keep tabs on each other as to who was going into the office on the day of a happy hour later on!

I met one of my really good friends through work and we annoy each other incessantly lol.

When it comes to meeting people at work, during your down times, try to see if there are common interests…

• You could ask them what they like to do in their free time
• Or if you want to cut right to the chase, maybe what they’re currently watching on either netflix and hulu and see what shows you have in common

I will say though, meeting people at work is a little tricky because it really depends on what kind of profession you work in, as some jobs are really demanding compared to others, so use my above advice with caution!

Take advantage of the opportunities to go out after work with your team.

If there is a happy hour, go

If there is a team outing, do it

Give yourself the opportunity to put your best foot forward.

Travel

So there’s absolutely NO doubt that when you travel, you make lasting memories and take advantage of opportunities that you never would have ever thought you’d have.

Take advantage of meeting other people in spontaneous conversation.

You can either do it solo and go to a place you’ve never been and know absolutely NO one there OR you can plan a trip to visit a friend or family member to wherever they are.

So awhile ago I went to Arizona and it was my very first solo trip (you can read here for more on that) and initially, I had gone because I was going to meet up with a friend out there, but long story short plans fell through and it was going to be a solo SOLO trip for me.

Which was fine by me, I needed a change of scenery anyway.

So I came up with a plan, I would book my days up with things to do, things to see.

I made sure I had a plan or a loose itinerary of what I was going to do on a day to day basis.

I visited a desert botanical garden and along the way, while asking for photos in the park, I met someone who was also solo traveling and was also looking for someone to take their photos too.

so we walked together throughout the park and talked about life/ our families and it was a great way to pass the time.

While I was touring through Antelope Canyon with a small group, I found a couple who was from New Jersey, as well and I had a blast talking to them and learning more about them.

More recently when I went to Nashville to visit a friend, we planned out the day we were seeing each other and what we’d be doing when we met up.

My flight got in late Thursday night.

I hopped on a tour Friday. Spent most of the day on the tour and met some really nice people along the way and then made it back to my hotel.

I saw my friend that Saturday night and they brought along some of their friends to hangout with us and then we ended up going swing dancing where I met EVEN more of their friends.

Which was awesome and made my trip really memorable.

So when you’re traveling, keep these in mind:

• If you feel comfortable talking to someone, go for it. but if at some point, you feel uncomfortable, then you can back out by saying something like “I really gotta get going”
• If you’re meeting a friend and they introduce you to some friends of theirs, roll with it.
• Take the opportunity to go out on tours. I cannot recommend this enough. Tours are a great way to get a conversation going with someone who is probably interested in similar things.

Traveling is amazing. It helps open up your mind and it puts into perspective how unique, yet similar we all are.

So go out and travel.

Hobbies

If the last two sections sounded a little to out of your comfort zone for now… Don’t worry!

This section is geared to those of you who have specific interests.

Ain’t no shame in liking what you like–within reason of course.

A great way to make friends is by signing up for either different classes or going to different events that showcase your interests.

like if you’re someone who’s really into action movies and interested in combat-like video games, maybe you can sign up for a Martial Arts class and meet people who have that common interest.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to take dance classes, but never really felt like you had the courage to do so.

Go for it!!

Sign up for that class and just take it one step at a time.

Maybe you have the goal of becoming a fitter version of yourself, but you never really had anyone hold you accountable for those goals…

Enroll at your local gym and get in contact with a personal trainer and make it happen.

Feeling lost spiritually or that you need to be in a group with people who are believers?

Do it. Pray and search for groups in your area that have young adult chapters.

The world is your oyster and you have everything you need at your fingertips all you have to do is move your thumbs and type into google the hobbies you want/ have, so that you can be connected with people who share similar beliefs and values.

Don’t allow yourself to be hindered by the voice in your head.

Create a life that aligns with your values and your beliefs.

Create it with something that feels authentic to you and what you want to accomplish in this world.

I hope you enjoyed reading through this post where I highlighted where you can make friends and ways to make friends in different situations.

Let me know in the comments down below, if you’ve tried making friends in either one of these settings. How did it go & Would you do it again?

Sending a ton of love and light your way,

P.S: To catch up on all my adventures, follow me on these social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!