Ever feel like you have nothing interesting to say? Or wonder why anyone would want to talk to you anyway because you’re so boring? When someone asks “What’s new?” you shrug and answer, “Oh, not much,” and the conversation falls to the floor and lies there dying a slow agonizing death.

If you feel boring, you quite possibly are! But there’s a simple way to resolve that! Do something you can talk about! What are you interested in? Are you an artist or love going to art festivals? Do you have a weightlifting goal you’re working towards? Do you love trying new recipes? Maybe you love photographing old wooden bridges or birds, or have a passion for a certain type of volunteer work.

These are things that make you interesting. When someone asks how your weekend was, tell them about the 5k you participated in, or the amazing pork roast recipe you tried. They will invariably ask questions about it, and voila… a conversation is born. And not just any conversation, but one you are passionate about, making it easier to converse without feeling awkward. If you are passionate about the art festival you attended, conversation will come naturally when you speak about it. You will cease worrying about what to do with your hands because you’ll gesture naturally. Your fear of awkward silence will disappear as you tell your story. Talking about your passion has a wonderful side-effect too! Now that this person knows about your interest, they will likely ask about it the next time they see you, creating a subsequent easy conversation for you.

Another benefit of getting out there and enjoying your interest is you will meet new people with similar passions, particularly if you’re attending a group function surrounding your interest. Let’s go back to the art festival example. If you see a particular painting you love, talk to the artist about it. Artists love talking about their work, so the conversation will glide along easily. If you love cooking, take a cooking class. Don’t worry about going alone. Every person in the class also loves cooking, so talking about your shared passion with a stranger will come easier than you think. Plus you may just meet a new friend! It can be difficult for a Shy to make friends, so finding people who share your passion can naturally lead to new friendships.

So don’t just sit there! Search your community for events that might interest you and go! It’s perfectly okay to go alone, so don’t worry about that. There will be plenty of like-minded people there who just might strike up a conversation with you!

And next week when someone asks, “How was your weekend?” you can answer, “Well, I went to this amazing…”