Oct 21: Open Up!

So... this week has brought a few changes to my life, one of which is a new job.  This one change has brought other changes, like meeting new people, learning new things, getting up at ridiculous times.  And perhaps all this change has given me a little more confidence, because the other day I dealt with what might have been an awkward situation in a very new and refreshing way.  So it got me to thinking about much change helps us grow, how stretching out in new directions creates more opportunities for good things to come into our lives.  I have always loved change in most areas of my life, but in one particular area, that of opening up socially, I keep reverting to my comfortable old solitary ways, which a. is not healthy and b. makes people think I am a snob.
Anyway, in order to further my progress (and because I am a dork), I looked up some suggestions online, here are some of my favorites:
1.) try new things (sounds familiar), trying new food, music, places, meeting new people, joining clubs, all these things make you a more well-rounded and interesting person, which builds confidence
2.) volunteer (again, familiar), focusing on the needs of others makes you focus less on your own insecurities
3.) be friendly and approachable (this is the hard one for me, not because I am mean, but because I am often in my own little world and mostly happy that way, but we all need balance)  smile at people, introduce yourself, ask people about their lives
4.) jot down notes about people so that you can follow up on important events in their lives, it shows that you care about them
5.) face your fears (tough), most of the time when we don't socialize, it is out of fear. Conquering our fears, a little at a time, builds confidence and opens our lives up to new possibilities.
p.s. just realized this is my 100th post, hooray!