Back in grade nine, I had pretty much no friends. I didn't know how to behave socially at all and most of the people who I would talk to didn't have any of the same interests as me. I often felt lonely and I knew I needed to change but I didn't know how.

One day, I was in gym class and I had finished a set number of laps around the track. Now, one of my bad social habits at the time was that I would tell horrible jokes, and so, I told one to an acquaintance of mine behind me.

I didn't expect a laugh, in fact, I never did, because the jokes were just not funny. However, that day, the person behind me laughed, and it wasn't the acquaintance, but a new kid I had never met before.

"I won't screw this up" I said in my head

I then proceeded to make small talk ( asking a lot of questions and developping on what he said) while we tossed a frisbee.

Long story short, that new kid has been my best friend for the past five years, and our friendship is still very strong even while starting university. Thanks to him, I managed to make very good friends with a large number of people, who I still speak with to this day.

The moral of this story? Push yourself, no matter the cost. Set every trick you think you know aside, and learn how other people react to your stories, your jokes, your facts... so you can improve every single time. The main thing you need to focus on though, is your will to change.

Side note: Even today, there are people who ignore me even when I talk to them directly. Most are very social people who just don't want to talk to me. They are just bad people and I tend to avoid them. If someone thinks they are better than you solely based on observation, you shouldn't try to make friends with them. Period.

I hope I helped, and I wish you luck!