I asked my wife today this “What will make you have a second or third chat or meet with a person after talking to them for the first time?”

She said that if they share something interesting about themselves she will be more inclined to have a next conversation.

I remarked that if they asked me a question that made me share something interesting about myself, I would talk to them in the future. I would credit their effort and creativity in asking me such a question and that reveals to me that they were truly engaged.

You see the two different points of view. I was self-focussed and she was focussed on them.

Then, we discussed if the other person being open about sharing their situation in life is an important consideration. We differred here. I suspect that it takes a lot of energy and courage to share one’s life situation to a person that you just met for the first time. She said that it is an important consideration for her.

Here’s to making new friends.