Have you ever wondered what would happen if you talked to almost every single person that walks by your side? What if you talked to that boy you thought was cute at the library? What about the girl on the bus whose shoes caught your attention? The possibilities of the people we can meet and the relationships that we can build are endless. This will be my second year at UCF, and most of the people whom I've talked to who have transferred here from precious institutions have all said the same thing. They all have mentioned how difficult it has been for them to try and make new friends and build relationships.
For me, transitioning into UCF was easy considering that I was moving up here with my best friend and I knew plenty of people, so I did not feel lonely. I would ask if they ever just made a point to try and talk to someone. They looked at me like I was kind of crazy and said, "No, I don't think I can do that." I would ask why? That's the easiest way of making friends. We build relationships with other people by talking and finding the things that we have in common.
The advice I would give someone who is moving to a new school or starting new at a new place they feel uncomfortable is to not be afraid. I know we are very scared of human rejection, but how will you know if you don't try? The best way of building new relationships is not being scared to talk and introduce yourself to new people. In college especially, we tend to find a certain group and we immediately stay with that group of friends and they are our ride or dies.
In high school, I was a victim of this phenomena. I would always hang out with the same group of people year after year. Now that I am in college, I don't talk to them as frequently as I used to, and that's the mistake most people make. They limit their friend circle and then wonder what happened to them after so long. I am positive that most people my age can attest to this happening to them once or twice.
Just wonder how different your life would be if you talked to everyone you encountered every day. I am not just talking about a saying hi or bye, I am talking about a full-on conversation; trying to figure out what interest you and that person may have. Imagine how differently all those people would impact your life. Again, the possibilities are endless. We tend to complain that people are so hard to approach these days but most of the time is us just perceiving things incorrectly. Maybe next time you are sitting on the bus or someone is sitting across from you in the library, try to talk to them and create a new opportunity for a friendship. You never know what may happen.
