How to Make Friends if You're Not the "Popular" Type ...

First and foremost, don’t get hung up on labels. Don’t worry about who’s popular and who’s not, and what group you want to fit in with. The less you think about labels, cliques, and groups, the easier it will be for you to make friends because you won’t be thinking about where you fall on the social ladder.

Lately, when I’ve thought back to my own high school days, I’m realizing how much I just didn’t care what people thought of me. I wasn’t worried about wearing the latest and greatest clothes or liking the same things as everyone else, I just worried about what I liked. If I hadn’t been like that, I know that making friends would’ve been much harder for me, because I constantly would’ve been trying to act like someone I wasn’t.

I’ve met some of my best friends via the Internet, because I like finding people who have the same interests as me. If you go to a big high school or a big college, it can be hard to find friends who love the same things as you, but with the help of social media, it’s so much easier to find friends who are in your area who love the same things as you!

To make friends, you need to talk to everyone. Although I didn’t think about it often, I had friends in almost every “social group” at my high school because I liked talking to everyone. If I got along with someone, I wanted to be friends with him or her. In order to find out who you do and don’t get along with, talk to everyone.

Just because you see your new friends everyday at work or school doesn’t mean that you’re on the road to best friendship. To really solidify a good friendship, make the effort to hang out outside of your school or workplace. It’s not one-sided, and you shouldn’t expect them to want to hang out with you!

I’m in college right now, and last semester I sat next to a girl for an entire semester who I didn’t really talk to about anything but school-related things. A few days ago, I was at a Taylor Swift concert, and she was a row behind me. We were both the biggest fans of Taylor Swift and had no idea, despite the fact that we sat next to each other for so long. Don’t hide away your interests because you’re sure that no one shares them. Chances are that someone will!

Don’t we all just want a good friend? If you’re not a good friend to someone else, how could you expect him or her to be a good friend to you? Focus on being a good friend, and you’ll attract good friends in return!

How do you make friends? What are your tips and tricks? Ask for advice and tell us your stories in the comments!