Monday, March 24, 2008

Cool Ways to Meet New People


Feeling isolated? Spending too much time on the computer and not enough time face-to-face with actual humans? Or just moved to a new place where you know nobody? Stop moping! There are lots of ways to break out of loneliness—but you need to take that first step. Here are some great methods for quickly connecting with likeminded souls:

1. Go to http://www.meetup.com/. This site allows you to join groups in your area around common interests, or to start a group of your own.For instance, where I live in Santa Fe, the Meetup site lists regular meetings around reading, writing, poker, French, politics, philosophy, knitting, movie-going, meditation, mothering, technology, and so on. Just click on the group that interests you, sign up, and then show up for the meeting. Membership is usually free.

2. Check http://www.craigslist.com/ in your area. Click on “Community” and then “Groups” or “Activities.” A recent search in my city yielded book groups, women’s groups, personal growth groups, and many other interesting possibilities.

3. Invite your neighbors to some event at your home—even if they haven’t reached out to you. Try a barbecue, a high tea, or even a video viewing.

4. Join…a church, a club, a political group, a class, a volunteer organization. Check your Chamber of Commerce for lists of existing organizations or educational opportunities.

Once you find interesting people, do NOT wait for them to extend a hand to you—it may never happen, even if they like you a lot. Instead, take a deep breath and make some overture to get together. Invite the potential friend to meet you for coffee, or to go for a long walk with your dogs, or to come over for dinner. If that doesn’t work out, move down your list to the next person.

It’s up to YOU to find the amazing and wonderful people in your vicinity—they’re out there, but you’ll probably have to break out of your shell a bit to connect to them. For some this process comes naturally, but for others, it's a huge stretch. I promise you that it's worth the effort.

Do you have other avenues for meeting people offline? Please share your suggestions with the rest of us.

Many Blessings,
Hiyaguha,
The Life Change Coach

Dr. Hiyaguha Cohen offers life coaching by Skype or phone and in-person Hawaii counseling. Click HERE to go to her website.

Thank you for visiting the Radical Love blog!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Flowers, crystals, photographs, and so on work well.