How to Be Confident and Make Friends
Everyone admires a person who appears cool and confident and whose smile makes them friends with everyone they meet. Being a confident person can be a challenge, though, if you are shy or have self-esteem issues. However, it's not impossible for you to go from wallflower to the life of the party if you are dedicated to building your confidence and getting involved in your community.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
How to Be Confident
-
1
Get a makeover. A day at the barber or hair salon can go a long way toward building your confidence. Getting an updated hairstyle and new makeup can enhance how you present yourself to the world and get you on the right path to making friends.
-
2
Update your wardrobe. You don't need to spend a lot of money on new clothes; just go through your wardrobe to eliminate dated items and purchase some modern staples you can mix and match. A plain t-shirt and jeans goes a long way and a great sweater or coat can be used over and over.
-
-
3
Join a club that matches your interests. Even if you are shy, join a club or take a class that piques your interest. Practice starting up conversations with your classmates or fellow club members by talking about the subject matter presented or asking for homework help.
-
4
Get advice from a counselor. If you are very shy or suffer from social anxiety, meet with a therapist to get some tips on interacting with others and dealing with anxiety when making friends. Your therapist will likely have insights to help you gain confidence and boost your self-esteem.
-
5
Read self-help books. There are a number of books dealing with building confidence and self-esteem. Books like "What's Holding You Back?: 30 Days to Having the Courage and Confidence to Do What You Want, Meet Whom You Want, and Go Where You Want," by Sam Horn; and "Seven Days to Confidence: Practical Strategies to Transform Your Life," by Ros Taylor, Sandra Scott and Roy Leighton can offer actionable advice to build your confidence on your own.
How to Make Friends
-
6
Put yourself in the position to meet people. Join a gym, social club or recreational-activity group or sports league that will provide you with the opportunity to meet people and make new friends. Start up a conversation and get friendly.
-
7
Volunteer. Volunteer opportunities put you in a position to meet many good-hearted people and give you easy conversation-starters like talking about the job at hand or future assignments.
-
8
Write down some opening lines to get you more comfortable starting conversations. Having some standby comments can take the nervousness out of meeting people. Collect openings like asking how people met their spouse, what their favorite conspiracy theory is or how they deal with holiday shopping.
-
1
