Starting a New Friendship

While some people claim they’re happy with the friends they have, many will actually jump at the chance to form a new friendship with someone. This is because we’re all social creatures at heart, and we do need some form of interaction to be whole. But starting a new friendship isn’t always easy.

Finding new potential friends is, of course, somewhat difficult. Do you try to cultivate friendships at work? That can sometimes backfire. Do you go out and socialize? Sometimes the people you meet in bars and clubs aren’t exactly people you want to be friends with. However, these are sources of potential new friends, as are churches, local events, and even the internet.

Once you’ve met someone you think may be a friend, how do you go forward? Some friendships are formed almost accidentally: you end up at the same business-related functions or events. Maybe you decide to attend a series of lectures at a local university and see the same person each time. You chat with them and eventually exchange contact information and start a correspondence. If you’re a parent, you might meet other parents at school events and realize you have a lot in common. While these types of acquaintances aren’t necessarily friends, they can become friends if you continue to talk and see each other.

But true friends will get together outside of events and meetings like this. You might email back and forth with someone on a topic you both enjoy and, eventually, one of you will suggest meeting for dinner or for coffee to continue the discussion. This is when you start to move into friendship territory.

There are other ways to start friendships, of course. You can join an online pen pal site and chat or email back and forth. Some friendships start while playing online games. Some come from professional associations like writing groups or professional society conferences. No matter where your new friendship begins, by nurturing it, you’ll come to have a new friend in your life.