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Adulting 101: How to Make Friends in a New City

How to Make Friends

At the age of 5, friendship was as easy as letting the other girls in your class borrow your milky pens and occasionally play Baby Spice in your tribute band. My chubby cheeks smiled with glee every time I made a new friend to invite to my next slumber party. I was working the system. In ’94 there weren’t quite as many ludicrously popular boundaries like #NoNewFriends and “you can’t sit with us.” It’s 2015 and the ink in our milky pens has run dry, Posh rules the world, and your Tamagotchi has been replaced with an Apple watch.

From doing taxes (and hopefully getting a tax refund) to painfully shielding your eyes when you realize how much of your paycheck goes to brunch, being an adult is kind of a twisted yet satisfying experience. If there is one thing that triumphs over paying bills or sitting in a desk chair all day in the hierarchy of adulthood quandaries, it’s making friends.

Sitting on my coffee table is my boyfriend’s copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People. I can’t help but scoff at the paperback’s title — okay, Dale Carnegie…let’s pretend it’s easy to win friends in an age where bribing girls with Lunchables is socially unacceptable. This issue plagued me when I decided to move to a new city unpopulated by my past. No one here knows who the hell Jillian Goltzman is…that uncertainty became a paradox that was both beautiful and terrifying in its own right. Who would I be in Houston?

It’s been four months and I’m proud to say that despite the lack of milky pens in my possession, I’ve not only survived but thrived. Here’s what I learned in Adulting 101:

Become a Social Butterfly

If you’re reading this, there’s a 90% chance we met on social media. IT WORKS.

Get Friend Zoned

After countless meetings for potential friend suitors, it’s hard to feel like I’m not back in the dating world. I’d get this rush of nervousness before meeting up with a girl I met on Instagram, attend the “friend date” and then quickly report back to my boyfriend to let him know I sealed the deal. Pathetic? No — absolutely normal. Humans need humanity to function, so don’t feel lame for feeling exhilarated by the new people in your life. That’s what they’re there for.

Get Up and Go

You can’t be the Gatsby of the party by watching Leonardo DiCaprio on Netflix. Whether it’s leaving the office on time to make a Pilates class or going to a work networker, the only way to build relationships is by seeking them. (Once you get past the stage of making friends, you can of course invite them over for a Leo marathon in sweatpants. Baby steps.)

Do Your Research

Skilled at digging for case studies at work? Proficient in cyberstalking an ex? Whatever your online talent is, put your research savvy self to use. Dig deep to find the organizations, meet-ups and people who fit you best.

I’ve been able to kick-off a great friendship through Googling organizations, utilizing my blog, tapping into social media, and even attending “blind” encounters set up by mutual friends. As a new Houstonian, I am beyond lucky to come across White Buffalo Project, a movement to build authentic female friendships, where I’ve met some remarkable women. If you’re not in the Houston area, don’t fret. Monarq, a soon-to-launch app that will help women meet friends in their city is the perfect way to take your search mobile. (Join the movement here.)

"Speed-friending" at the White Buffalo Project x Monarq App mixer.

“Speed-friending” at the White Buffalo Project x Monarq App mixer.

Remember that Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe

The most important thing to remember is who you are before staring the leap into friending. Contriving your character will not only be readable and ultimately uninteresting to whomever you meet, it will be miserable for you to maintain in the long run. Let your inherent attributes run through your veins and when someone asks who you are, you won’t be hesitant to answer. Remember that uncomfortable idea that no one knows who Jillian Goltzman is here? Before they can know me, I need to know me. Find yourself, mark it on the map and your tribe will soon meet you there.

With love,

Jillian

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(From left to right): 1. Nikki Kestenbaum of Lipstick & Brunch. 2. Em Natalicchio, up-and-coming fashion designer of soon-to-launch collection Of Myth & Muse. 3. Houston bloggers at Alamo Drafthouse‘s Mean Girls Quote-Along. 

Love these tidbits or have a better way to share with readers? Leave a comment in the below and tell me what you think! 

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