Friendship begins, and loneliness can end, when we cease trying to impress, have the courage to step outside our safety zones and can dare, for a time, to look a little ridiculous.

“Don’t worry about being the most interesting person in the room, just try to be the most interested person in the room.

• The interested person asks about others and leaves a good impression because people like talking about themselves.

• The interested person is genuinely curious about someone’s craft and learns a lot about how things work.

• The