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Below is an article that wrote for teenagers.
It also applies to adults …
Making Friends
Have you ever been scared of someone?
Do other people make you nervous?
Guess what! You make other people nervous!
Many people who look cool, calm and collected
aren’t nearly as confident as they look!
Here’s what often happens …
On Monday you see a new kid at school.
His name is Michael. You think to yourself,
"I would like to speak to Michael."
But Michael doesn’t say "Hello" to you –
so you don’t speak either.
You see him again on Tuesday.
You are really hoping that he will say "Hi!"
You tell yourself, "If Michael speaks to me first, then I’ll say ‘Hi’".
But he doesn’t speak – so you don’t.
By Wednesday you are thinking,
"Maybe Michael is a snob!
Perhaps he thinks he’s better than me!"
So when you pass each other in the corridor,
you both look the other way.
For the next six m! onths you never speak to each other.
Then one day, a friend introduces you to Michael.
And Michael turns out to be a really friendly guy!
And he tells you, "I wanted to talk to you but you seemed like a snob!"
He says, "I thought you didn’t want to be my friend!"
Isn’t life crazy!
You may not think that you look intimidating,
but other people fear you too.
Often, when other people seem unfriendly,
they are actually scared of you –
scared that they will be embarrassed or
scared that they will be rejected.
Three things to remember:
1. Everyone has those, "I’m not good enough!" thoughts.
When other people seem unfriendly, they often just lack confidence.
2. If you speak to someone nicely – and they are unfriendly,
it is not your problem. They have a prob! lem.
Be proud of yourself that you had the courage to say "Hello".
3. Other people often wait for you to speak first.
If you wait for them to speak, nothing happens!
Make it your habit to speak first, and for the rest of your life
you will make many more friends.
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