by Sara W.

Created on: July 05, 2010

If there is a first-time meet and greet in your near future, there's no reason to sweat it. If you're one of those people who find their knees knocking or their deodorant miserably failing every time they even imagine shaking the hand of someone new, there is hope. With a new perspective and a bit of confidence, you can hold your head high the next time you walk into a room full of strangers.

Bring A Buddy

Whether it's a party, a wedding, or even a family reunion full of cousins you've never met, you're probably always welcome to bring a friend. If the invitation is formal, you may need to ask your host for permission, but rarely will there be an event that won't allow you to bring your best bud. Having a close confidant by your side will ease you into any new environment, and will make meeting new people much less terrifying.

Sport Your Best Traits

When most people think about meeting others for the first time, they usually focus on the traits that they least like about themselves. It's natural for us to assume that those traits will be the first thing that others notice, too. But let's face it, no one is perfect. Rather than obsessing about your complexion or fussing about your bad haircut, only think about your favorite traits. You feel attractive when you smile, so smile a lot! You look your best in this pair of jeans or that dress, so wear it! Any little thing to boost your confidence goes a long way.

Remember the Spider

You know what your mom always said about spiders? "He's more afraid of you than you are of him." If you had a nickel for each time you've heard that phrase, you'd be rich, right? Well, the same is true for new introductions. You're probably thinking, "Oh my gosh, I hope he doesn't notice the giant zit on my nose!" But in reality, your new acquaintance won't ever even notice your zit because he's thinking, "I desperately need a Tic-Tac!"

Focus Outward

Lastly, now that you're confident about your best features and equipped with the knowledge that your new intro is just as paranoid as you, the final phase is to forget about yourself. Yeah, this sounds completely contradictory to your goal, but it's not. Here's why. When you are totally self-centered and only focused on yourself, it shows. When you are morbidly afraid of what others think, it affects your behavior, making you awkward to be around and quite unattractive. The most attractive people are those who ultimately don't care what anyone thinks about them.

Remember some of your most comfortable first-time meetings. Your new acquaintance was probably very easy to be around, very natural, and completely indifferent to your or anyone else's opinion. If you make it your goal to be like that person, your true self will shine, and meeting new people will be nothing more than a relaxing walk in the park.

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