Overcoming Approach Anxiety with a Positive Attitude

[Spiral]

Wow, it took awhile but I took initiative. I've made a few friends.

This past weekend I was returning my cable box. Waiting at those places is a pain and I decided to sit down and relax. Unfortunately, I began sneezing like crazy. This bug I got down in New Orleans stayed with me up until today. Anyways, a man and his girlfriend were discussing a new package they were about to purchase and the man turned around and was like "man we just got over our little bug!". He proceeded to tell me they had just gotten back from New Orleans. What a coincidence. He found it funny after I had mentioned I JUST got back from there. Anyways we started talking and I learned he teaches karate at the college. It's a free class he does for the community because he loves it and invited me. I went tonight and I put into practice everything I've learned so far from Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". OAA has helped me so much as well to just relax! Once I got in there I was just hangin out doing my thing (stretching). There were 8 other people there I think. Anyways I remembered everyone's names and made sure to mention it at least a few times while talking with them. I socialized with everyone and got to know them better. A few people aren't local but I learned that there are also other regulars that come in. The ratio of people seems to favor the males but I don't give a &$%^. I'm glad I got out and did something that allows me to move around and burn some calories.

Oh and what's awesome about this is when I went to the P.E. complex here for the state university I couldn't find the class. I must have been early. As I was leaving I saw a couple get out of the car across the parking lot. I just slowly mozied on over there and said Hey them and asked them what they knew about the karate class. They were apparently going to it. Both my age, girl was a little older and she was absolutely gorgeous. I thought about maybe turning up the heat a little bit but I'm sure I did enough with just my eyes. That's all I can really do anyways since her boyfriend or brother (I never found that out) was there and I'm just not gonna flirt with her in front of the guy she came with out of respect. I did find out they are not married, though. I had no problems smiling.. in fact I was just enjoying being with new people. I thought I was happy before.. but I feel more fulfilled now that I have had more human contact outside of work now. In fact, work has been a little different for me lately. It seems like the people there are more friendly around me because I'm just being more friendly and relaxed in my own body. I'm not getting stuck in my head anymore. I'll just go up to someone at work and look at them and smile with this big ass grin on my face . For no reason and walk away. If I don't walk away I'll say whats up. It's all coming from this "I really don't give a f%$#" attitude.

I love it!

I will add one of the guys I had met there had been studying martial arts for 20+ years! I would have thought this guy would be more aware and easy but he just couldn't look me in the eyes. He always looked down and never up or away.. and I kind of felt weird around him because he was being weird! No matter how long I looked at him or listened to him or even when I met him we never made eye contact. Now, I never was that bad back in the day.. but I was bad about making eye contact. And now I really know how it feels to be disrespected like that. He may not have known he was disrespecting me but he was. I'm glad I've learned this over the last several years rather than later on down the road.