As you get older, meeting new people can be daunting. But doing so is fun, exciting and most importantly, life-changing.

You believe that you should only interact with the people you’ve known since a young age. You could suffer from social anxiety or you may just be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. But new relationships are pivotal for your health, happiness and growth. New people inspire you by sharing their knowledge, resources and outlook that is relevant in your life today.

As a kid, you are instructed not to talk to strangers. Your parents taught you that there are bad people in the world. And since you can’t discern good from bad, you feel most comfortable interacting with the people you know best. As you get older you get stubborn and stuck in your ways to the point that you go to social events and not be social. This causes you to miss out on meeting new people that should be in your life even if they are not like you.

Only hanging with people with similar views offers a pretty narrow perspective of the world. It is very important for you to socialize with people who are different. Understanding the journeys of other allows you to gain empathy and compassion, which helps to understand how people feel and effectively respond to any situation.

When you meet new people, you can discuss problems you are currently facing and get honest feedback. They don’t care about your past and there is no pre-judgement in place. You feel comfortable discussing things  that you typically would not discuss due to fear of judgement. Plus the people ‘who know you best’ may not have the answers due to their lack of understanding of your growth.

Allowing new people in your life provides the opportunity for you to tap into their knowledge base. Sometimes you get lazy in your own world. And you need to hear and learn refreshing point of views from others. You will be amazed by the amount of wisdom that’s inside random people. Who knows? The next person you meet might share a new approach that can change your life.

In order to live a happy and fulfilled life, you need people. And not the same people you already know. You need people with fresh ideas that help motivate, inspire and shape your future. Happiness is infectious! Overcoming your fear of meeting new people can create new possibilities and life experiences. Get uncomfortable and explore the unknown!