Being an adult means a lot of different things. Paying the bills, getting the kids to school, getting a job and even going to college. Within those responsibilities, being social is one important skill to have.
In high school, we are stuck socializing with the same people and secluded in a certain group. Once we enter the real world, we are bound to meet and socialize with different people.
When we are paying those bills, we have to communicate with the employees who handle our bills. Paying bills comes once or twice a month. You go to your provider and the clerk helping you is the same clerk you had the past five payments, Sharon. Sharon gets familiar and eventually starts to make small talk to get to know a little bit about you now that you have become a regular. This builds a small relationship, which helps practice taking those small steps into being social with new people.
It’s your first job and in the beginning, being shy and short with everyone is usually how it goes but eventually, the people around you welcome you because they know and have been in your shoes at one point and make small talk with you at first. Once you start talking and getting used to your co-workers, they become somewhat of a friend. You begin to build enough familiarity and comfort in conversation that it becomes an experience in being social with different people.
Another way of being social is in the dating world. We probably all had that one special high school sweetheart and that could have been the only experience before entering the real dating world. Of course, you have different types of people. Some are adventurous and take interest in exploring, trying to figure out what they really like. Then you have those who are looking for that special someone they would like to spend the rest of their lives with. The adventurous is most likely way more social than the one that is only looking for their soul mate. Either way, both are led to be social in that way to benefit them.
Going to college opens up a lot of opportunities to be social. You first have to talk with an adviser about your future and plans of moving forward in life. Then, it’s your professors, who you have to communicate with for class needs like trying to earn extra credit because of a low grade or some assistance with an assignment. Lastly are the students that you pass on the way to class.
There are many different students. You have the ones that literally just go to class, holding up the “do not disturb sign” on their forehead. The students who go and try to at least be social even though it could be hard for them at times, you see them getting more involved with activities such as clubs.
This is the real world and whether you like it or not, you have to somehow communicate to the world. Let the world know that you exist, meet new people and don’t be afraid to just be yourself and live!
