I’m often asked how my husband and I met. It’s a natural question. I’m from the Chi and he’s Aussie. A quick glance and conversation with us just begs the question how the two of us found each other from across the ocean. It’s a beautiful and amazing story of how I see God getting involved in our lives.
I have my own ideas about this thing called “the one”, which you can read about here. But, my husband, is indeed “the one” God has said yes to. He’s the one I love, the one I chose and the one I continue to choose each day. So recently, I got to thinking where do people actually meet the one.
Here’s my quick list of 20 places you might meet someone special. If you come up with any others, be sure to share them in the comments section.
1. At a Festival
Most cities have lots of festivals. One thing I love about the city where I live is that there are constantly festivals going on in Sydney. A quick google brought up this website: http://www.sydney.com/events-festivals-and-celebrations.
Festivals can range from food to writing to music or dance. The best way for this place to pay off to meet great people is if there are activities to participate in. It’s much easier to meet someone while you’re interacting than it is to meet them while you’re standing on the edges of the action.
What are you interested in? Does your city have a festival for it? Attending an event that focuses on one of your passions and meeting someone there with a similar passion could be the ticket for success.
2. At Church
I’m all about finding that spiritual connection with someone. Everything else is important, but a relationship with God gives your relationship a firm foundation to stand on.
If you go to a church with 20 people in it, all over the age of 60, you might find it hard to meet someone at church. What’s great is that you don’t have to stay at your church to meet your Mister Mister.
If marrying within your denomination is important, you might meet him at your church, at a church convention or at some type of church conference. Most of all, don’t be afraid to venture out to someone else’s church. Who knows, you might meet “the one” as you’re connecting with “The One”.
3. While being part of a church ministry
Going to church is one thing. Getting involved is something totally different. Have you always wanted to be part of the children’s ministry or to help feed the homeless. Jump in and get involved. It will make your church experience so much richer and you’ll begin to see the gospel in action. An added bonus may be that you’ll meet someone special while you’re serving…who knows?
4. On a Volunteer/Mission Trip
Few experiences are more bonding than doing service together and a volunteer or mission trip will give you just the opportunity. Many charity/non-profit organisations have service trips that they organise for volunteers to travel overseas to help dig wells, build buildings or help at orphanages. If you make the decision to take a trip like this, no matter who you meet on the trip you’ll come back a better version of yourself. Who knows, you might realise how much you have in common with the people on the trip. Plus, this could become an experience you can always look back on and smile
5. Online
In the world of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, Tinder, e-Harmony and match.com, for some, online is where it’s at. You may be busy, reserved or just curious to see what your city offers. Whatever the case may be, this might be a good option for you. While you will have to invest some time in creating a profile and then need to sift through profiles, there might be a jewel waiting for you in the midst of them all
6. Through a Friend
Before I got married, I used to say that men who were interested in me needed to come with letters of recommendation. You need recommendations for everything else in life, why should relationships be any different. Even businesses need good reviews on places like Yelp before people will try them out for the first time. What better way to get a recommendation than to getting set up by a friend.
You may want to make sure the friend knows you fairly well, makes good decisions. A double date might take the pressure off for the first time – giving the two of you some time to really get to know one another.
7. At A Conference
I met my husband at The One Project. I didn’t attend with the intention of meeting anyone at all, but I did pray a prayer before the event began. I said, God please help me to meet the people you want me to meet. I prayed this because I had written a book and I wanted God to help me meet the right people. Also, I was looking for a job at the time so I prayed for God to help me meet the people he wanted me to meet.
There could be a Conference in your area that might bring your face-to-face with someone special. Most importantly, if you choose something you’re interested in, no matter the outcome, you’ll walk away feeling like you really got something from it.
8. At a Professional Networking Event
While living in Chicago, I found a group called the Young Professionals of Chicago that was all about creating a network for young people who were early in their careers. They offer great networking events, panel discussions and career workshops.
The group isn’t for hooking-up and that’s just the point. If you’re genuinely interested in something like this, you’ll quickly jump in, get involved and grow your network. Growing your network means meeting more people and meeting more people gives you the chance to meet someone who might be interesting to you in the future.
9. In a Sports League
Do you love basketball? Does volleyball set you off? Have you ever thought about joining a local sports league? A quick Google search should let you know if your city has a league for the sport you’re interested in. If you don’t know how to play, there might be local classes to help you figure out the rules and gain some coordination.
If you know you’re absolutely hopeless, why not try volunteering to help? Local leagues are often run by the local city government or someone other organisation that would be happy for another set of hands to help.
10. From a Meetup on meetup.com
Have you ever been on meetup.com? It’s a very novel idea where people create groups around common interests, which can range from chess to rowing to Spanish to business. You simply sign-up, join the meetups you’re interested in and attend the events.
Once again, this could be a chance to connect with someone based on your common interest.
11. At University
Some people meet their true love in high school and others in college. If you’re still in University, your eyes may be wide open. Sometimes, it isn’t until the whole experience is over that we realise that there was a great variety of potential matches at our alma mater. No matter, there are still lots of great places to meet your Mister Mister.
12. At a University Alumni Event
You know those e-mails you get from your Alumni Association that you always discard? You may find a use for them after all. Most Universities have really active Alumni Associations. People often think they’re only filled with older alums reliving their glory days. While you’ll find older alumni in abundance, you’re also likely to find some more in your age range.
Consider joining your local Alumni chapter. Attend the alumni reunions or homecomings at your university and most importantly, get involved.
13. At a professional development class/event
Similar to University, you can have fun while learning, even at a professional development class/event. Maybe you want to learn how to code, or sail or even how to plant a sustainable urban garden. I’m sure there’s a class for that somewhere. If you choose something you love, you’ll dive right in and invest your time and energy into learning it. And we all know that smart is sexy! Don’t opt to make yourself less than in the class. Flex your mental muscles in the classroom and offer help to those around you if you’re able to add some value. Who knows who you might end up tutoring.
14. While Traveling
If traveling is your thing, you might just meet someone special on the road. The only challenge may be that the two of you end up being from different cities. If you’re prepared to overcome this challenge then meeting while traveling may be for you. The best part of it all is that if you finish your trip and you haven’t found amour, you’ll still have the memories of the trip to remind you that it was all worthwhile.
15. While working on a project you love
As you read this suggestion, you may think, this is not my personality and won’t work for me. For those who resonate with the suggestion, go for it! I love my projects. Often times they involved reaching out and collaborating with people. They involve getting to know people and working collectively on the project. Just to give you examples, in College, I helped organise a big hair show for my business club. We worked with local barbers and beauticians, as well as many of the students in the business club. As a result, I had a lot of time to spend with various people. If I had my eyes open at the time, I might have thought this was a good time to meet potential matches. Similarly, after graduation, I got very involved with the Young Alumni Association. I definitely had the chance to meet and mingle with lots of different very interesting people, giving me another opportunity to meet and get to know various guys in a very neutral environment. I must say that this isn’t how I met my husband, but it definitely put me in the position to meet people because I was willing to get involved and open myself to the possibility to meeting men as I worked on projects that I loved.
16. Volunteering for a local charity
Put your time where your heart is. What are you really passionate about? Could it be animals, the environment, children, helping people with cancer? There are organisations designed to support the cause that you’re the most passionate about. Have you ever considered diving in deep and volunteering with your organisation of choice? It might be in that moment that you connect with fellow volunteers who share your passion for community service.
17. In an exercise group
Do you love to keep moving? You can easily combine your love for sports and exercising with…well, love. If you meet your love interest while working out, this might be something special the two of you can share over the course of your relationship.
Many cities have sports leagues, like flag football (or touch footy), volleyball and basketball that are co-ed. Similarly you can join a gym that encourages group workouts or opt for a group workout class. However you decide to make it happen, once all of the endorphins get going during a good workout, you’re more likely to be happy, be open and ready to meet someone special.
18. At work or through a business contact
Meeting a significant other at work can be a controversial option, but let’s face it, we spend the majority of our day at work. If your office is small or if there’s a specific policy, this may not be the best place for you to meet someone. Many others, who work in a large company, who are finding they have serious connection may find this suggestion to be just the boost they need. Make sure you don’t rip through all the men at work otherwise Mondays may not be the only days you’d like to avoid the office.
As for business contacts, from time-to-time you may find that you meet someone in a business setting who’s just so impressed by you that they really want to introduce you to someone that they know. If you think it’s a good match for you, go for it and see if it works out to be something more serious.
19. At your local cafe where you get your morning coffee
Does your day revolve around routine? Is getting your morning coffee part of it? You may find yourself smiling or greeting the same people over and over again as you frequent your local coffeehouse. Could it be that through all of your casual convos that you might meet someone special? Who knows, but the possibility is always there.
20. Be Creative – Pursue your passion
While I’ve given lots of suggestions, you know you best. You know your passions and your connections. You understand your schedule and the places you go on a daily basis where you interact most with the people. So the suggestion here is to be interactive with your world.
Pursue your passion. In the process, don’t be afraid to chat with the people around you. Don’t be afraid to make small talk, take interest in others and focus less on yourself. You may find that this shift will have you meeting interesting people all the time.