Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is that if there is someone you would like to get to know better, say so. Letting people know that you consider them a friend can make a real friendship far more possible. So, you probably encounter dozens of people every week in your day to day life. Some
of them you probably know well. Others are fine as casual acquaintances, but there may be a handful of people you see regularly that you would like to get to know better. Connecting a little more doesn't have to be a huge time commitment. Simply saying that the other person should consider you a friend or referring to them as a friend can go a long way. It lets the other person know that you would welcome making your connection
a little deeper. So, for instance, when you run into a yoga classmate at the grocery store, introduce her to your kids as your friend from yoga, and suddenly she is your friend. You have affirmed the relationship which you have been building when you chat after class every week. If you are wrapping up a work project with a colleague from another department, and want to maintain the relationship, Say so, I appreciated getting to work with you on
this project, and I'd love to stay in touch. Especially if the colleague is new to your organization or more junior than you, you could be even more direct and say consider me a friend. You could invite them to reach out if you could ever be helpful, But in any case, simply vocalizing that you see them as a valued colleague and friend is enough, because when you are friends and trusted colleagues, of course you can reach out
to each other for help or insight. After the last meet for your kids summer swim team, don't just say goodbye to the other parents the same way you would on any other day. If there is a parent you want to keep in touch with, let them know you can be direct without really feeling awkward. Simply saying let's keep in touch or consider me a friend. We'll get the message across. Or with an upbeat, casual tone, you could say text me friend and pave the way for
the relationship to continue. Let them know that your connection doesn't have to end with the swim season. Once you have affirmed that you want to move from acquaintance to friend or close colleague. There are a few steps you can take to move that along. For instance, if the other person says I'd love to stay in touch, you might offer up something adjacent to what you already do together.
For instance, if you see a colleague in the break room when you eat your lunch, mention that you've been wanting to try the new Vietnamese restaurant in a neighborhood and ask if they'd like to join you. Ask the mom of the kid on your soccer team if she'd like to walk laps around the field with you. An even more low key option for deepening a connection is to text the person On occasion, if you see something funny or that makes you think of them, send it along.
If you know the person has traveled somewhere, ask for tips. Eventually, a texting relationship can become deeper. Given how many people want more connection in life, I don't think you need to worry about feeling too forward with all of this. Most people will appreciate your letting them know that they can consider you a friend. You might be able to get something on the calendar together, something that you will
be looking forward to in the meantime. This is Laura, thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.