What if they were already your friends?

For something that happens daily, you’re probably not very good at talking to strangers. And I agree with you: meeting strangers can be weird.

There is the initial awkwardness when you start talking to them. You both fumble around trying to find things in common. You both ask shallow questions like “What do you do?” Or “Where are you from?” Or “Who do you know?”

Then there is a lag before you start sharing ideas that you really want to talk about. You rarely share how you feel about your job on the first day. Or what you wish you could do if you had unlimited time. Or who you really want to become if you had the opportunity.

Now, why don’t you get this deep when you first meet them? It’s because you believe that strangers are evil. Maybe you wouldn’t say that out loud, but deep down, you’ve learned not to trust them. Your parents and teachers told you never to talk to strangers. That you must always be wary of them. And you because you trusted your parents, you internalized that belief.

But what if you assumed that strangers were already your friends?

If you assumed this, you would interact differently with them. You would be open and giving. You would tell them exactly how you feel and then listen wholeheartedly to what they say. You would share your items with them.  You would even invite them over to meet your friends and family.

What stops you from interacting with strangers freely, is that you call them, “strangers”. Call them your friends, and everything would be different. People would feel the difference and respond to you in kind. You would even make friends with an ease that would surprise you. 

All you need to do, is make the mental shift.

What if they were already your friends?