How to meet new people when your shy...

One of the most common questions I am asked is how do I know so many people! The answer is simple... because I truly enjoy getting to know people and the experiences they have been through. I feel like I can learn from people and that helps me grow as a person. I don't consider myself outgoing, in fact I can be quite shy. But I put myself out to get to know people because it makes them feel good as much as it makes me feel good!

But how is this done when your shy and uncomfortable meeting new people? It truly is a frame of mind. If you are afraid you won't have anything to say or people won't want to talk to you... get rid of that mind set!! Put your mind set in a place that says... I'm a great person and I have a lot of good stuff to say! Remember how "fun" you are to be around and you want to share that with others! If you give off those vibes, people WILL want to be around you. Most people would rather be around someone with a great personality than a bump on a log!

Another thing to remember is that most people LOVE to talk about themselves. If you find yourself with worrying you won't have anything to say to someone, DON'T! Just ask them questions about themselves and figure out something you have in common. If you are at a networking event ask someone to tell you about their business and what they do. Once they start talking about their business you will come up with lots of other questions. If you're out at a bar maybe watching sports, ask questions about the sport. Just take the environment you're in use it to your advantage. If you look around there are a lot of great ideas to talk about. Most important, keep it real. Speak from the heart and take time to actually listen to people. People will go out of their way to respond as it makes them feel like you are looking to them for their opinion.

The most important thing to do is make people feel special! If you can figure out a way to make people feel special you've made a connection. Whether it is make a special point to going over and saying good-bye from an event, acknowledging them out at another event, or simply making them laugh. Find something personal that makes an impact and it will make them feel special.

Remember, meeting people shouldn't be a scary thing! It should be an exciting adventure to expand your horizon's! If you remember to keep it real and speak from the heart, you will be amazed at how comfortable you will feel meeting people. You can never know enough people and someday you never know whether or not you and that new friend can help each other out!