“Don't talk to strangers.”

That is the the worst advice.

I was never told this growing up.

That's been one of the biggest gifts I've received.

Strangers are just People. People you don't know (yet).

When I was 13 I'd look for the other middle schoolers who would sit by themselves. I had my group of friends, so I'd go up to other kids and say "hi my name is Daniel, can I sit with you?" I knew what it was like to feel like an outsider. I loved being the one to make others feel welcomed and included.

When I was 18 I started my first business. It didn't make much money but it taught me to be good with people. That lesson/skill will pay me for the rest of my life. There is one quote that still sticks with me:

"Everyone wears a sign around their neck with says: Make me feel important."

I broke a social norm:

I sat in a different seat every class for an entire semester.

There were 60 seats, and only 32 class meetings. I ended up meeting so many cool people in that class by doing this. Usually I'd meet the 3-5 people around me. By varying my seating I met a lot more of my classmates.

I travelled to Ecuador knowing no one, and got to spend my birthday with people who used to be strangers. They ended up being like family. They kept me safe, told me which parts of the city not to travel through because they weren't safe. One of those strangers helped me meet someone who I could rent a room from.

Today I vary my seating position in the business networking group I am a part of.

From a young age you're told "don't talk to strangers." As an adult we keep on thinking in this same way.

Yet your best friends, business partners, and significant other was once strangers. Only your blood relatives were not strangers in your life, and some of them become strangers.

Strangers will be the source of your greatest grief and joy. You don't get to have one without the other.

Because strangers are just People. People you don't know (yet).

The Big Problem:

You can't talk to new people.

You're afraid to ask for what you want.

You're afraid to raise your hand and your voice.

You're afraid to break the unspoken social norms.

You're afraid to sit beside someone you don't know.

What if you say the wrong thing and no one ever forgets.

You don't want to compliment someone (because what if they think... ____)

You've never thought of this as a skill to develop through practice. (until now)

Learning to be good with people is costing you more than you know.

Without people skills a business doesn't exist.

Without people skills you're career growth is limited.

Without people skills your and ability to attract a spouse is lower.

Without people skills you don't have friends who make you better.

Without people skills your health is worse.

You're missing out on opportunities that are all around you.

You don't want to smile and wave at a stranger.

There is a huge fear tax that you are paying everyday of your life. You may never see it, like you never see the money that is removed from your paycheck for taxes. It's still a cost.

If you can't even smile at a stranger, it's hard to have a conversation.

Strangers are just People. People you don't know (yet).

The life you want to live is on the other side of discomfort.

Why Sitting with Strangers will be the best decision you make.

Sit beside her.

Smile as you enter the room.

Wave at the person across the street.

"Smile and wave boys, smile and wave" - Madagascar

Being enthusiastic is an unfair advantage. People love to be around people who are excited about the life they are living.

"Act enthusiastic and you'll become enthusiastic." - How I raised myself from failure to success selling

Choosing to go outside of your comfort zone and make other peoples day is a small cost to brighten someones day.

Brightening someones day > Your comfort zone

Meeting new people may end up being one of the biggest gifts.

There is a gem within each person.

"Every man is my superior in some way, in that I learn from him." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Choose discomfort. Sit with a Stranger. Hear her story.

Being afraid to sit with a stranger is costing you more than you know.

Developing the skill of meeting new people will serve anything you do for the rest of your life.

If you don't have this skill of being able to meet people, you will be paying a social tax that you don't have to.

This is the foundational skill that amplifies any other skills that you develop.

Strangers are just People. People you don't know (yet).

Three Challenges: Should you choose to Accept.

Challenge 1:

Think of this as a video game and you want to progress to level 5. Choose your level of difficulty below and do at least one per day for a week, then progress to the next level. Within a month you'll be at level 5.

Level 1: Smile at a stranger.

Level 2: Smile and wave at a stranger.

Level 3: Compliment something about a stranger and keep walking. (the drive-by compliment)

Level 4: Compliment and introduce yourself.

Level 5: Compliment, introduce yourself, and ask for their contact info. (depending on the environment)

• phone number

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• Business Card

Challenge 2:

If you are in school, church, or business environment where most people sit in the same place.

One time this month sit in a different place with different people.

Increase your curiosity about your experience.

Do you like this spot better than your normal spot, do you connect well with any of the people you are sitting close to? do you pay better attention because of your sitting position? Proximity and seating position make a difference.

Challenge 3:

Rhino Game: (From Rhinoceros Success)

Smile and wave at people when you're stopped at a red light.

+2 points if they smile and wave back

+1 points if they smile back

0 points if they don't respond

-5 points for any accidents.

Strangers are just People. People you don't know (yet).