How to Make Friends as an Adult

Bailey is joined by life and career coach Danielle K. Ford to share their best advice when it comes to making new friends in person as an adult.

Adults may struggle with making new friends due to a lack of opportunity to meet new people, social challenges, changes or transitions in life. But, regardless how big or small your circle of friends is, you can always make space for someone new. There are tons of opportunities to make new friends in person, you have just got to be looking out for them and be open to connect.

Jennifer, Danielle and Bailey dive deep into the first three key steps to meet new people and develop relationships: acknowledging you want one, understanding that you are not the only one looking for new friends and finding common interests & activities to make it easier.

Additionally they talk about the importance of giving yourself permission to be more vulnerable and yourself, knowing at what level of connection you are at & being clear about what you want, and giving others the space to be who they are.

Take the first move, and you’ll be surprised how many people are pleased to connect!

About Danielle K. Ford:

Danielle is a lifelong learner, life and career coach, and marketing ologist.

She came to the realization that throughout her life, she has often been in a coaching role in some form or fashion. The epiphany that the experiences she had in the roles of confidant, trusted advisor, problem-solver, and friend to many, was incredibly empowering. Finding creative solutions to both ordinary and complex problems is one of her superpowers. Helping others see their situation from another perspective and working together to turn problems into solutions, truly puts her in her happy place.

Key Takeaways:

The biggest thing of making new friends is giving myself permission to be a bit more vulnerable
Look at changes as opportunities
Do new things to extend your social connections
The first step to start making friends is acknowledging that you need one
Value the friendships that you have or the ones that you make
A relationship has to be a two way effort
There are different levels of connection; know at what level people are at
A relationship is about giving and taking
Don’t change who you are for someone else
Give people the space and grace to be who they are
Don’t be afraid of making a new friend, do the things you are afraid of anyway, you might be happy with the result
Don’t take other peoples punctuality personally
Be clear about what you are looking for
Be open to what is to come