Hello fellow introverts and extroverts!
Being an introvert can be very exhausting at times. It’s exhausting because not everyone understands our frame of thought, or can relate to our point of view on basically everything. This isn’t to say that it isn’t or can’t be exhausting to be an extrovert, because I’m sure it is and can be! However, as a fellow introvert myself, I know exactly why and how it can be exhausting.
Basically, functioning in a social environment can be very pressuring for introverts. We want to engage and be social and to “function” in a normal fashion in social settings, but we just have a harder time doing so. We become so overwhelmed very quickly and that often times pushes us to shut down fairly quickly. However, having and maintaining a healthy social life is a very vital part of surviving. So, I’m going to share with you all (introverts and extroverts) 5 more ways you can be more outgoing. From an introvert’s perspective of course!
Dive deep into your greatest passions
Sometimes focusing on things that you enjoy doing is the perfect way to be more outgoing. If you like to paint, go to a painting gallery. If you enjoy reading, join a book club. Even if you’re a stay at home mom/dad who loves to cook, you can join a cooking club. Better yet start one yourself! Either way there’s always room for you to dive deep into your passions and share that love with others. You just have to find it.
Our passions create a gateway for us to be able to reach out and connect to others. It’s the perfect ice breaker and will always set a solid foundation for you to fall back, on should you ever come in contact with that person again. These passions don’t have to be out of this world amazing. They can be something as a simple as making necklaces or anything mentioned above. So long as you have a genuine passion for something, I promise there is always at least one other person who shares that passion with you. Let that be the inspiration for you to get out and expand your social circle.
Related Posts: The Book Series You Need To Read This Fall!
Step out of your comfort zone & find a new one
Ahhh. The sweet, sweet comfort zone that we all know and love so well. Usually I would never tell anyone to step outside of their comfort zone, unless I knew that they could benefit from it. That’s right, you guessed it. If your goal or intention is to be more outgoing, you’ve got to step outside of your comfort zone. However, don’t just step out of it with the intention to leave it. Step out of it with the intention of finding a new one.
Having a new comfort zone solidifies two things. One, that you are attempting to participate and be more outgoing by finding and trying out new things. Two, that you are doing this by staying true to your authentic self and branching out in areas that you are comfortable with exploring. The whole goal of being an outgoing person is to participate in things that you enjoy and will not get bored of so quickly and easily. So yes, step out of your comfort zone but only if your intent is to remain true to your authentic self.
Participate in small talk
Small talk. That’s the key word here. Small. A lot of the time people associate full blown conversations as a characteristic of an outgoing individual. This is not true, most of the time. Having the ability to carry a conversation does not necessarily make you an “outgoing person”. It just means you are able to hold a conversation! On the other hand, having a hard time engaging in small talk does not mean you are incapable of holding a conversation. It just means the conversation at hand may not be of interest to you.
So here’s the deal. By participating in small talk, you have the opportunity to transform the conversation into anything you want to talk about. Literally anything. And since it’s only small talk, you don’t have to feel the pressure to carry on a full-blown conversation. Just say what needs to be said and move on. It’s as simple as that. Try engaging in small talk for at least 5 minutes a day, and you’ll be on your way to establishing new relationships in no time!
Be friendly
A small act of kindness goes a long way! Being friendly should be a natural characteristic that we all possess. Sadly, this is not true, but most introverts do. Use that to your advantage. People like nice people! So be nice to people. This can and does look different for everybody. A small act of kindness can be anywhere from buying coffee for the person behind you, to giving a homeless person a dollar.
You don’t have to go above and beyond to be nice, kind, and friendly to people. All it takes is a little consideration and a little bit of compassion. The two of that together will take you a long way. And don’t feel pressured to engage in small acts of kindness if it just isn’t in you. That’s ok. We all have our days when we are open and giving, and days when we are closed off and want nothing to do with anybody. The bottom line is, being friendly is a great way to meet new people and expand your horizons.
Visualize yourself as an outgoing person
This is by far probably the most important piece of advice I could ever give to anyone. I’m a firm believer that we are what we visualize ourselves to be. Therefore, if you want to be a more outgoing person, you have to visualize yourself doing outgoing things. Think about it. You will probably never do all the things you have done if you weren’t able to picture yourself doing it in the first place. That first date you had? You probably wouldn’t have said “yes” to that date unless you were able to imagine yourself actually going on it in the first place.
Training yourself to be more outgoing is the same thing. You probably will never start a book club with the intent of meeting new people if you can’t visualize yourself doing it. You will probably never go hiking with your significant other and a bunch of their friends, if you can’t visualize yourself doing it. You have to believe it in order for it to be true. The same can be said for being more outgoing.
Related Posts: 10 Ways To Be More Outgoing Part 1: An Introvert’s Perspective
Let’s review. These are 10 ways an introvert can be more outgoing…
- Find your people
- Work on your confidence
- Don’t let negative experiences influence you
- Smile often
- Make the first move
- Dive deep into your passions
- Step out of your comfort zone & find a new one
- Participate in small talk
- Be friendly
- Visualize yourself as an outgoing person
There you have it! 10 ways you can be more outgoing from an introvert’s perspective. These tips and/or pieces of advice aren’t only for introverts. Extroverts by far can more than likely relate to these topics in a very different fashion. Everything on this list is doable for anybody!
So take the plunge and change your social life for the better!
See you next time love bugs!
-Xo
Kimora