If you know me well enough, you know that I love meeting new people and engaging in solid, deep conversation. I wasn't always this way- I claimed to be an open person, but was still somewhat hesitant when it came to meeting others. I guess it was because I cared way too much about what people thought of me. Gaining the confidence to open myself up to new people has completely changed my life.
I think it started when I came to college and really kicked into gear when I started recruiting for internships last Winter. After attending workshops about networking and the recruiting process I began to become more comfortable in my own skin. This helped me so much and played a huge role in me landing an internship and also a full-time job upon graduation. During the internship, I met so many awesome people in my intern class, who I became pretty close to, and also professionals at the firm.
These experiences really helped me gain perspective on the positive aspects of taking the initiative to start a conversation with people I didn't know. Now I start up conversations and meet new people almost wherever I go.
It's interesting to think of the dynamics of a public space. For example, when you take public transportation like a bus, you basically get on, find a seat, wait for your stop, and exit the bus. There is very little conversation, unless you're riding with a friend. This is because, in this particular example, the bus is the site of contested public space. No one wants to interact with each other, most likely out of fear for awkward moments or potential danger- people just stay in their seats and keep to themselves (trying not to encroach onto the personal space of others).
The way I see it, when we share public spaces with others, we can all just sit around and wait for whatever it we're waiting for, or we can make the experience more enjoyable for ourselves. I love talking to people I don't know and starting up random conversations. I know this sounds unusual, but it has positively affected my life. People aren't always very receptive to this, but I would say that smiling and being friendly to others definitely increases the chance of it working.
About six months ago, I was at the airport terminal waiting for my flight to San Diego and I started talking to the woman sitting next to me. She looked friendly, so I asked what she was going to do in San Diego. She told me that she was visiting her daughter there, asked me the same, and proceeded to ask about college and my major. Pretty soon after, we were having a conversation about how recent legislation has affected public accounting. It turns out that she was an accounting professor at UC Davis. What a coincidence!
I have similar stories that started with me making conversation with a complete stranger and ended with me getting advice about my first year as an assurance associate and getting a ride from LAX back to UCLA (two different occasions).
Coming into my senior year, I didn't think that I would meet that many people. I mean, I already spent three years trying to get involved so there wouldn't be many opportunities to meet more. Boy was I wrong- I think I've met more people this year than I have in the last two years combined, some of whom I've had great conversations with.
It's crazy how much the world opens up to you when you open yourself up to the world.
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