I’m Too Scared
Community building puts a lot of people in a very awkward position of having to socialize with a complete stranger. This can be absolutely terrifying if you have never done sales before, but if you have it's like selling your friendship. Here is the story of how I met my friend Zoey (name changed for privacy).
Step 1: I went to a third space during summer! I am very lucky to have a pool in my apartment complex, which was a great third space. I was already paying for it in my rent and so it seemed like a perfect fit.
Step 2: I didn’t go once and got discouraged. I went multiple times on the weekend and during the week when I would get off work. I was incredibly privileged to have time to go to the pool. I could have gone to the gym and had the same experience. I could have also been in my office break room having lunch. I am not a fan of meta but Facebook friends is how I met my friend Bailey! These are just ideas of what to do so you can manufacture a third space, community, or just a connection.
Step 3: I started the conversation by complimenting her outfit, which at the time was an orange and red bikini. I told her that my roommate and I were hoping to start a little friend group in the neighborhood. She was excited to have friends close as well! We have been friends for a little over six months and we helped her celebrate her 23rd birthday.
Pro Tips
Birthdays can be super expensive and hard. Hard in the sense of planning and expensive as in the materials. Our friend group shamelessly reuses decorations for each other's birthday if we can. My birthday last year included a lot of pink decor, which we have reused for other birthdays.