I am an introvert and I spent a good part of my childhood being extremely socially awkward and having major issues connecting with other kids my age. Even as an adult, connecting with others still takes effort, but over the years I've learned several steps for making interacting with others less awkward, more enjoyable and even... FUN.

If you've struggled with being comfortable around others and want to become better at it so you can stop making excuses for declining social gatherings - this article might be for you.

Do any of these relate to you?

• I feel like I can't be myself around others

• I don't know what to say when people ask me questions

• I worry about how others will perceive me

• I doubt I can find any common ground with them

• I'm afraid they'll talk about interests that I'm not in to

• I'll have to pretend to be in to what they're in to

• I don't know how to carry on an engaging conversation

• I hate feeling like I'm in the spotlight

If so, my hope is that I can share a few tips in this article to help you easily connect better with others, be yourself, and actually use socializing as a tool to sharpen your listening and communication skills. All of this will help you be more confident around others (especially in new settings) and even find friends you can relate with.

Think of the following steps as your toolbox to take on your next social gathering. Test them out, tweak them as needed, and improve on them over time.
As you internalize them and make them your own, you won't need to look at them or

1. Think about who you'll be hanging out with

2. Prepare some greetings ahead of time

3.