Key To Maintaining Friendships = “Never Eat Alone!”
When it comes to maintaining friendships, it’s totally important to do so.
But what if you don’t have much time to see your friends? As an adult in your 30s, you probably don’t have the spare time to see your friends every few days like in your 20s. You can’t go out of your way like you used to.
So what’s the solution? Here’s my solution = never eat alone! It’s a pretty simple concept; whenever you decide to have a meal (whether that’s breakfast, lunch or dinner), try to bring your friends along. It’s as simple as that! And they say good food with good friends is the key to happiness, so you’re killing 2 birds with 1 stone!
Let’s go more in-depth about maintaining friendships by never eating alone…
Where does “Never Eat Alone” come from?
I was reading a book called “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz. It’s a great book about how to network with people and be better socially. I’m always looking to improve my skills in life, and being more socially competent is one of those areas I want to get better at. I highly recommend reading this book; I learned a lot about socializing and networking.
There are many great points in this book. But one of the key points is of course from the name of the book = never eat alone! Naturally as a human, you have to eat at some points during the day. Why not use those opportunities to network and socialize with people? The point is that by eating alone, you could have used that opportunity to gather some friends, have a nice meal together and strengthen your friendship.
This is a point that totally resonated with me! It’s such an easy thing to do, but of course it’s not always possible to plan each meal for friends or acquaintances. So let’s talk about how I would go about it…
How to maintain friendships by not eating alone
The easiest way to schedule a lunch or dinner gathering with your friends is to do it on your days off. It doesn’t have to be everyday. I’d strive for once a week, you and your friends get together for food at a restaurant you all enjoy. It’s as simple as that!
Eating together works so much wonders for your friendships. Not only do you get to enjoy good food, but you also get to socialize with some good friends.
If you’re able to, try to do this with several of your friends or acquaintances. Whether it’s your coworkers or your family members, if you can make time to utilize your meal time to meet with others, it’s a great opportunity to keep your network strong and healthy.
I don’t know about you, but I love going to restaurants with friends or family. To me, it’s one of the best joys in life and something that has been done throughout human history. It’s where big decisions have been made and important friendships were strengthened.
And it doesn’t have to only be restaurants. You can go to smaller places like cafes or bars. Or what I do, is invite my friends over to my house and I cook them something nice while we hangout at my place. Yes, I’ve done many hangouts where we get together at someone’s place to make food. Yes, cleaning up and washing dishes does suck. But the joy of making some lunch or dinner together with friends is totally worth it.
How often should you eat with others?
How often should you eat with others? I say there’s no hard rule for the amount of times. It really depends on your situation. For someone in their 30s, your time is probably going to be more limited than someone in their 20s (click here on how to manage your time in your 30s). So I wouldn’t expect you to go out to have dinner with friends every single day.
If you are really strapped for time, I’d go for once a week if possible. Chances are, you probably have 1 or 2 days off work each week. So instead of ordering delivery for your house on your weekend, why not go out with friends to a restaurant instead? It’ll take the same amount of time, and you’ll get to socialize and bond with some good friends!
Depending on your work situation, you can also use your lunch or dinner break to socialize with others as well. Instead of eating alone in the lunchroom, you can use that opportunity to have lunch with coworkers to talk about all the things you want. If you work in a downtown or central area, you can head out of the office and grab a lunch at a nice restaurant nearby.
I know, it’s not easy to find time with friends, especially in your 30s. You may have a very demanding job, or you’re trying your best to maintain your family life. So if it’s not possible to have food at a restaurant with your friends all the time, that’s okay. Do what you can. The whole point of this post is to inform you of the opportunity to build friendships during your typical meal times and to make use of that!
Conclusion
The point of this article; you probably eat at least 3 times a day. While most of us think nothing of the occasion, in fact you could use these moments to bond and socialize with your friends. You don’t have to do this alone. In fact, you should use some of these meal times to gather your friends and strengthen your friendship with them by eating together. It’s such an easy and convenient way to do so. As the book says, Never Eat Alone!
I hope you found this post about eating and socializing with friends very helpful. If you have any questions or feedback, leave them in the comments below!
