Hi my name is Kyle.

Here's the deal, I've started this little experiment for my own selfish reasons. Before you start reading click here to find out why I am doing this. I want to see if I can make a new friend each day. There are so many people out there who are much more interesting than I am so follow along as I find out just who they are.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Learn to cope

When was the last time you heard this?  It normally comes after disaster or great loss and it can extremely difficult.  Thanks to the book "Influencer" I was introduce to a second category of coping.  Unlike the first, this style of coping is a choice, not a necessity.  When faced with great fears or inabilities some times we push aside the greater challenge of change and opt for coping instead.  "It's just the way it is" we tell ourselves and search for other ways around the roadblocks they impose.  So if coping is a choice, change should be too.  Why can't we bust through the road block?

I'm ashamed to say that I've been leading the "must learn to cope" movement for quite some time, and my number one coping skill is "I'm not really good at making new friends."  This is how I've coped: first, I sit around sad that no one wants to be my friend (spent a good portion of junior high doing this) until by some miracle I meet a new friend (normally a roommate, a classmate or member of a sports team, i.e. someone that was semi-forced to be around me); second, I slowly get to know this person until I can meet his/her friends; and last, I hope that the new friends emerge from there.  I was never responsible for meeting new people (girls or guys), but I was always ready to receive the benefits of those who did.  One time I knew that a really good looking girl liked me, it was uber-obvious, but because I had become so good at coping I didn't ask for her number.  Luckily she asked for mine and called me, because after 4 years of marriage and two beautiful kids she's the reason I'm even attempting this.

In my attempt to break through my self-imposed road block I plan to meet at least one new person each day for the next year.  It doesn't matter who they are or where I meet them, but some rules I plan to follow are:

1.  I formally introduce myself as "Kyle."
2.  Discover certain information from that person, e.g. name, origin, residence, family etc.
3.  Say person's name three times before our conversations ends and
4.  Each time I see that person thereafter greet them by name and smile.


Posted by at

1 comment:

  1. MaRea HessOctober 5, 2009 at 2:39 PM

    As I sit reading this amazing new goal for yourself, there are tears rolling down my face. These tears are tears of joy, pride, excitement, accomplishment! You are such a wonderful example to all that get to meet you. I would love to start this new journey with you.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)