Source: Dumb Little Man
Finding people with the same interests isn’t always that easy. Finding people with the same goals and aspirations is even harder.
Most of us feel that way. I do, sometimes.
While I love and appreciate every single one of my friends, there are times when I wish they share some of my passions so we could bond over them.
For example, I blog full-time as part of my business. I spend at least 5-6 hours managing and writing at my blog. On the other hand, none of my friends so much as own a personal blog, much less partake in professional blogging.
I’m also self-employed and self-manage my schedules and working hours. On the other hand, most of my friends work in 9-5 jobs which is great.
However, our different visions in our careers made it hard to have a meaningful discussion in the area. Rather than constructively build off each others’ ideas which only someone with related background can do, most of the time, it’s more of a “listen”, “nod”, “ask a simple question” routine.
While it may seem tough to meet like-minded people sometimes, remember that there are ultimately 7.63 billion people out there in the world. Out of this group, there’s going to be at least tens of thousands of people who at least share a common interest with you!
It’s not about meeting just one specific person who shares all your interests, but about opening yourself to different people who share at least a common interest. Meeting like-minded people doesn’t have to be hard – it’s about taking the right steps.
Here are 7 tips to meet like-minded people:
People you know
It may not seem intuitive, but your immediate circle of contacts is a great way to meet like-minded people.
Have you heard of 6-degrees of separation?
It’s the idea that anyone on Earth is connected to each other via 6 degrees of contact or less. In fact, with the internet, it’s probably less than 6 degrees.
How does this idea help you meet like-minded people?
Firstly, if your friends have similar interests as you, they probably know many other people who have the same interests, too. Remember, birds of the same feather tend to flock together.
Secondly, even if they don’t share your interests, they might know someone who does. Even beyond that, word of mouth is an excellent referral tool.
Just by asking around and extending to 2nd degree or 3rd degree contacts, you might find yourself a list of like-minded new friends.
Your workplace
The second place which most people overlook is their workplace (or school, if you’re studying). This is applicable if you’re in a career that you enjoy and a company which you like.
Why do I say so?
Every company, especially long-standing ones, have a regimented set of recruitment criteria which include certain personality traits and hard skills. For you and others to be recruited in the same company, that means all of you share core similarities.
Not only that, being part of the same company means you’re part of a bigger culture, sharing same knowledge and thinking patterns (to a degree).
Many of my best friends today came from my previous workplace. Before I started working there, most people I know had passive, negative orientations toward life.
I wished to know more people who were more forward looking. My previous company was specific in recruiting people who were driven and self-motivated. So, when I entered the company, I found myself surrounded…
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