One of the best ways to improve your social life is to find like-minded people. Like-minded people, of course, mean people who share certain beliefs, interests, and ideologies as you. Your level of interaction with these individuals is much higher and more natural. You’ll have more things to talk about. You’ll tend to agree with each other more. This creates interactions and conversations that are meaningful and engaging, and in turn, allows a friendship to blossom.
With all of that said, it should be a given then that you take the time to meet like-minded individuals. Spending more time socializing with them will make the endeavor of finding new friends much more fun. Thankfully, the process itself of finding like-minded people can be very fun too!
How To Find Like-Minded People
Let’s talk about how you can find like-minded people. Take note of the following tips. These will inevitably lead you to being surrounded by your folks, like-minded people who share one or more interests with you.
Assess what your interests are
Before you can go out there to find like-minded people, you must first actually realize what your interests are. Of course, this sounds very simple. However, it is a process you’ll need to consider. This is most especially true if you have multiple interests.
Some interests make it easier to find like-minded people than others. For example, it’s easier to find like-minded people if you’re interested in rock music compared to if your interest is geology.
You can still find like-minded people for more obscure interests. For now, though, focus on your interests that are more common and widely practiced. Once you’re able to pinpoint which of your interests you can use to find like-minded people, you’ll be off to a great start.
Talk about your interests more
This one is a very neat thing you can regularly do to draw in more like-minded people. It is also very simple. You must simply be open to talking about your interests more. The more you do this, the more people will know what your interests truly are.
There might be people around you who are also into some of your interests. They’ll then be motivated to go up to you. Otherwise, you’ll encourage other people to learn more about your interests. They might want to get into that and they’ll turn to you to talk about it.
While this tip is immensely helpful, you’ll also want to keep in mind to not speak out of turn. Don’t overdo talking about your interests. Maintain a fair balance between being open and not being intrusive. There are those who might find you irritating if all you do is talk about yourself and your interests when there are other discussions to be had.
Just talk about your interests when the opportunity to talk about interests arises. If someone asks, never hesitate to share.
Related: Where to Meet New Friends
Actively get to know those around you better
From now on, make sure you actively get to know those around you. Don’t just settle for small talk or average work talk. Start having more conversations that are meaningful and memorable.
You can do this with your colleagues and co-workers. Instead of just talking about how your day or week went, talk about your desires and goals. Talk about what you both want to get out of your jobs. Instead of making small talk about the weather, start talking about your interests.
Not only will this help you find like-minded people, it will also make you look more sociable. People will want to get up to you more and find you more comfortable this way.
Just keep this in mind the next time you’re around other people. You’ll still need to maintain a fair boundary here. There are those who might not want to engage in conversation. Be understanding. Focus on those you can actually get to know.
Join groups related to any of your interests
What better way to find and meet like-minded people than to join groups that are membered by people who share your interests? There are a lot of groups out there for you to join. Whether your interest revolves around going outdoors like hiking, biking, trekking, or something like reading and art, there’s one you can surely join.
To find one, just look it up online or ask around. Find one that’s close to you. Once you find one, be sure to join them immediately. If you want, you can even join multiple groups at once to find the place where you’ll fit in most.
Once you’ve joined these groups, take the time to get to know as many members as you can. If this sounds too overwhelming for you, simply join and observe for now. Interact with one person at a time. You can take things slow. As long as you show up, that’s all that matters.
Related: Meet people in Social Groups near you
Join classes
Aside from groups, you can also join classes. Not only will this help you find like-minded people, but it will also help you learn more about your interest. No matter how much of an expert you believe you are in a particular field, there are always new things you can learn.
If you’re a novice at a particular interest, then that’s even better. In fact, be sure to not skip out on this tip if you fit the description of a novice. Join a class, learn, and make friends. A learning environment is one of the best places to make friends, after all. You’ll be learning and growing with other people, and that journey in itself can be something you share with your classmates, aside from sharing one particular interest.
Take to the online world
If the items listed above seem too personal, overwhelming, and intimidating for you, you don’t need to surround yourself with people you don’t know for now. Thankfully, the advent of today’s technology allows this. You can simply take to the online world instead of personally being in places with people you don’t know yet.
That said, look up online groups and online forums. Participate in message boards and discussions. Chat up with other like-minded people online. Get to know them more. Talk about your shared interest, then start talking about other things too.
The online world is a great option for those who are not ready to face other people physically. And while this option is highly recommended, you must also prepare yourself to actually go out there eventually. The online world is great, yes, but discussions and interactions had in the real world are much more impactful.
Maintain a balance between the two. Interact with people online, but also don’t forget to interact with people in the real world.
Form your own group
One of the best things you can do for your social life is to form your own group. Have it initially revolve around a common interest. This will make it easier to draw people in. Then, you and everyone in the group can begin to get to know each other form.
For example, if you’re a fan of a particular book, start a book club centered around that one book. Then, this can evolve into a bigger book club where you and other members can talk about a different book at every meeting.
This can be applied to any interest. Start a group and invite people. Tell your friends, acquaintances, or invite other people online. This will make your social life flourish greatly.
Of course, doing this requires a whole lot of effort. It also requires you to be sociable enough to handle multiple individuals in one area. Since it will be your group and your event, you’ll have to be everybody’s mediator.
That said, only do this if you’re ready. If you’re not socially skilled enough to handle this kind of event, hold it off for now. Do it only when you feel you’re ready.
Proactively meet new people
Another thing you can do so you can find like-minded people easily is to be proactive in meeting new people. If you get asked out to a party or an event, say yes. If an opportunity to socialize presents itself, attend it.
The reason why you’ll need to do this is to expand your circle of influence. There are people out there who aren’t comfortable with talking about their interests. This makes it harder to find like-minded individuals. That’s why you’ll need to be the one to talk about your interest. You’ll just have to be around them. That’s something you can constantly do if you proactively meet new people.
Have an online presence
Another thing you can do to find like-minded people is to have an online presence. Be sure to talk about your interests in your social media accounts. This will draw people in who might also be interested in those interests. You might have friends online who are also into those things, but you’d never know because you’ve never had the opportunity to make yourself known. They’d never had the opportunity to know you share the same interest as them. This creates that opportunity.
This is a minor thing but doing this along with the other things in this article will add up. The more you do these things, the easier it will be for you to find like-minded people in the long run.
If you don’t have a social media account, now might be the time to get into it. Just be sure to be careful with what you share with others online. You can talk about your interests, yes, but avoid talking about things that are too personal and intimate.
What To Do Once You Find Like-Minded
Now that you know how to find like-minded people, you’ve only scratched the surface of this whole process. Now you must learn what you should do once you find like-minded people. The process of finding them becomes futile if you can’t befriend them at all.
Introduce yourself properly
Practice introducing yourself before you go out to meet new people. That first impression matters in this scenario. This is a very simple thing, but if you’re someone who’s not really used to socializing, you can easily destroy the possibility of a friendship if you don’t introduce yourself properly.
That said, you can practice in front of a mirror. See how your facial muscles move as you speak. You’ll want to look as inviting and upbeat as possible so the other person will feel comfortable conversing with you.
Your introduction can be very short and concise. Simply say your name, tell them it’s nice to meet them while you shake their hand, and a smile as you do these things can help too.
The more people you meet, the more natural you’ll be at this. For now, though, practice.
Learn the art of conversation
The art of conversation is something that should never be overlooked if your goal is to make new friends. When learning the art of conversation, this doesn’t only refer to making long, meaningful, and deep conversations. It also refers to making small talk interesting. It refers to knowing when to speak and when to stop to listen.
This area of social skills covers so many grounds. You don’t have to learn them all immediately, but you can start reading up on them now. You’ll find an entire section on this site dedicated to conversation techniques. Click the embedded link on the prior sentence to head there. After you finish reading this article, be sure to take the time to read the other articles on there as well.
Be empathetic
Empathy is a powerful social tool. It will allow you to feel and experience what the other person is feeling — or at least, what they want you to feel and experience.
A lot of people are naturally empathetic. Take note of the following questions. If you can say “yes” to all of them, you’re naturally empathetic:
- Do you feel sad when a person tells you a sad story about them? Or when they share something terrible that’s going on in their lives?
- Do you feel excited when a friend is celebrating a recent achievement?
- Are you able to give proper advice to people you just met just by listening to their stories?
- Can you deduce what another person is feeling despite them saying otherwise?
If yes, congratulations. You’re a natural empath. You must now simply continue being empathetic moving forward. It will greatly help you out if you want to befriend like-minded people.
On the other hand, if you’re not naturally empathetic, you shouldn’t worry. This is something you can definitely learn. Simply picture yourself in the position of others as they tell you their stories. Imagine how it would really feel if those things were to happen to you.
The more you do this, the easier it will be. It may seem difficult and forced in the beginning. Just keep at it, and you’ll become a socially empathetic person in no time.
Set proper expectations
While it can be straightforward to find like-minded people, the process of being friends with them is another story. You can meet 10 like-minded individuals, but you can’t expect to become friends with all of them.
That’s the reality of the matter here. Just because you and someone else share an interest, opinion, or belief, that doesn’t automatically mean you two will hit it off. There are still other factors that can come into play here. Willingness, sociability, other interests and beliefs, etc.
That said, make sure to set proper expectations. Don’t expect to be friends with every like-minded person you meet. You’ll only end up getting disappointed.
You can try, of course. You should try hard to be friends with everyone. However, if things don’t go your way, simply shrug it off, and move on. There are a lot of other people out there who will be more than willing to be friends with you. Focus on them.
Begin exchanging knowledge
When you finally meet a like-minded person, take advantage of the thing you already know you have in common. Start talking about your common interest and the like. Build your conversation up from there.
Share your knowledge as the other person does the same thing. Learn from each other. Grow and be more knowledgeable together. This foundation creates a really strong bond later on.
Be open to learning, re-learning, and unlearning
When you meet someone who shares the same interests as you, they may know some things about your common interests that you don’t know yet. Or you might know things that happen to be wrong, and them knowing the truth, they’ll correct you in the process.
Be open to this happening. Be open-minded when it comes to learning, re-learning, and unlearning. As mentioned earlier, the two of you need to learn from each other. This creates a lasting and meaningful bond.
Don’t be close-minded and believe you already know everything there is to know about your interest. If they teach you something new, be grateful. If they correct you for something you mistakenly believed as a fact, be thankful for it.
Exchange numbers
Once you’ve had a pleasant exchange with a like-minded person, don’t let the opportunity of a friendship go to waste. Be sure to exchange numbers or any other contact information. Then, contact them afterward saying how great of a time you had interacting with them. This lets them know that you enjoyed their company and it opens up future interactions.
After a couple of days, when you’re free, ask them to go out again. Tell them that you want to talk more about your common interest. Or tell them that it’d be great to get to know each other more again.
You can also set up something that’s related to your common interest. For example, if you both are into wildlife, you can visit local sanctuaries. If you’re into music, you can go to live shows.
Be patient
The most important thing you have to remember throughout all of this is to remain patient. Sometimes, it can take a while to find a like-minded person. It can take even longer to become friends with them. Don’t fret too much about this. It’s just taking a long time. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen at all.
Keep this in mind. If things get too tough or if you get too tired of waiting, just remember that there are a lot of amazing things waiting for you at the end of that line. Remain patient and motivated.
Join groups. If that doesn’t work, join another. Join online forums. Talk to your colleagues. The process in itself can be fun. But you’ll be frustrated if you’re impatient. Acknowledge the fun of it. Focus on that.
Improve Your Social Skills Before You Find Like-Minded People
The best thing you can do for yourself if you want to find like-minded people is to improve your social skills. The more socially skilled you are, the better you will be at befriending people, whether like-minded or not.
As mentioned above, if your goal is to make friends, finding like-minded people makes this process easy. However, if you’re socially skilled, you can make things even easier for yourself.
In time, you won’t even have to seek out like-minded individuals just to make friends. You’ll be skilled enough to connect with people even if you have different beliefs and interests.
For this, be sure to refer to the other articles we have on this site. From conversation techniques to various social skills you should employ, we have an article for you. Good luck!