By Victoria Rollison
It’s amazing how many of us get into a comfortable rhythm with our lives and don’t realise we are hanging out with the same people every weekend. This might be fine if you aren’t single and looking for love, but if you are, it’s time to break the shackles of your inner circle and get yourself in front of new faces! Here are RESCU’s five ways to meeting new people…
1. Organise a dinner party where everyone brings someone that no-one else knows
Many people meet their future partners through mutual friends. And you never know, your best buddy might bring a workmate who you think is the hottest thing ever! Or your cousin might hit it off with your single best mate. Giving the party this ‘theme’ also helps to break the ice as the people who are invited will be aware of why they are there: to meet new people!
2. Sign up to an online dating site
It seems that everyone I meet has started internet dating, has friends who are internet dating, or even knows someone who met their future husband online! Don’t be shy, put together a profile! You don’t have to be as upfront as joining www.rsvp.com.au or www.oasisactive.com.au. You can meet people with similar interests who are looking for friendship as well as relationships at social club sites, such as www.getalife.com.au.
3. Ring a friend you haven’t seen in years
As we grow older, our social lives change and we leave behind friends who are in a different place. If you’ve got old school friends, uni friends, former workmates or friends you never see anymore, ring them and say hi! Organise to catch up for a drink and encourage them to bring their friends along.
Your best friend from high school who is married with four kids might have a friend who she’d love to set you up with! Give her the chance to match make!
4. Join a club or organisation you’re passionate about
The best way to meet like minded people is to get active in your community. Did you play sport when you were young? Why not see if there is a mixed team in your area that you could join. Do you have a social conscious? Why not join Greenpeace or Get Up and meet people who share the same interests as you? It’s a great way to meet friends as well as potential partners.
5. Don’t be scared of strangers
When you go out with your inner circle, you are probably so busy chatting to them, that you don’t even notice that there are potentially interesting people all around you. There are probably men who’d love to buy you a drink, if only you’d stop gossiping with your girlfriends long enough to catch their eye.
Be brave and chat to strangers, you’ve got nothing to lose!
