Have you ever been scared to meet someone new? I used to be very scared. When I went out to meet a new friend, I did bad things.
Sometimes, I talked too fast. I told them my whole life story in five minutes! Other times, I was too shy. I did not talk at all. I just sat there and looked at my shoes.
Then, I went home. I felt bad. I thought about all the silly things I did. I looked at my phone. I saw funny pictures on my phone. They are called romantic love memes. Romantic love memes are funny drawings about liking someone. Looking at romantic love memes made me smile. But it did not fix my scared feeling. I was still sad.
Then, I learned a big secret. The secret was very easy. I stopped thinking about me. I started thinking about them.
This changed everything. You do not need to be smart to do this. You do not need to send them funny romantic love memes to make them like you. You need to be nice. Here are three easy ways to stop being scared.
1. Try to make them smile
Rule number one: Try to make their day good. Before, I thought, “Do they like me? Am I being silly? Am I ugly?” Now, I think about something new. I think, “How can I make this person smile?”
This is a fun game! It is like a magic trick. You can say, “I like your shirt!” You can tell a very funny joke. You can pose and attend to them, talk about their dog.
It is very easy to be nice. You can not fail at being nice. When you try to make them happy, you forget to be scared. You do not need to look at romantic love memes to know how to be nice. You do it. When you are nice, the scared feeling goes away.
2. Play a game of finding facts
Rule number two: Play a game of finding facts. Do not think of meeting someone as a big test. Do not think you will get a bad grade. Think of it like a fun game. You are a finder of facts. You are just looking to see what happens.
If you drop your cup, it is okay. You learned not to hold the cup that way. That is a fact. If the person is mean to the server, it is okay. You learned that you do not like mean people. That is a fact. If the person is very fun, you learned something good! That is a fact, too.
Sometimes, people go on a bad date. Then, they go home and make sad romantic love memes about it. They cry. But you do not need to cry. A bad date is just a fact you found. It is not a fail. It helps you learn for next time.
3. Ask fun questions
Rule number three: Ask fun questions. When I was scared, I tried to think of very smart things to say. But my head was empty. I could not think. I just got more scared.
Then, I stopped trying to be smart. I just got nosy! I wanted to know all about them.
Do not ask boring questions. Do not ask, “What is your job?” That is boring. Nobody wants to talk about work.
Ask fun questions! Ask, “What do you like to do on a rainy day?” Ask, “What is your favorite food to eat?” Ask, “If you could fly like a bird, where would you go?” Ask, “Do you like to look at funny romantic love memes on your phone too?”
People love to talk about what they like. When you listen to them talk, you do not think about being scared. You do not need to worry about being as funny as the romantic love memes on your phone. You need to use your ears. Listening is a superpower.
A story about a boy named Tim
Let me tell you a story about my friend Tim. Tim was very scared to meet a girl. He looked at romantic love memes all day. He thought, “I am not funny. I am not cool.”
He went to the park to meet the girl. At first, his tummy hurt. He wanted to run away. But then, he remembered the rules.
He stopped thinking about his tummy. He looked at the girl. He smiled. He said, “I like your shoes. They are very red.”
The girl smiled back. That made Tim happy. Then, he asked her a fun question. “What is your favorite game to play?”
The girl talked a lot about her favorite game. Tim just listened. He did not have to talk. He did not have to be scared. He just had fun learning about her. He did not go home and look at sad romantic love memes. He went home and felt good!
You can do it too!
Meeting new people can be hard. But it can be fun too. Do not try to be perfect. Do not try to act like a person in a movie. Do not try to act like a funny picture in romantic love memes. Just be you.
Just remember the three easy rules:
- Be nice and make them smile.
- Play a game and look for facts.
- Ask fun questions and listen.
The next time you meet someone, do not be scared. Put your phone away. Stop looking at romantic love memes. Take a big breath. Say hello. You are going to do great!
