I am generally a shy and reserved person but with time I am much more comfortable with people. I am great at my work place but find it difficult in other public settings e.g. gym. I have no issues with looking at someone and greeting them or being the first to reach out. But I find a lot of guys unable to even look at me let alone smile or make casual talk. Makes me wonder if I am doing something wrong and if I should be reserved but then that is not who I am. I like having a pleasant disposition. Some guys sit in front of me with their head down and looking at their mobile, then they do the gym routine and sit again facing me. Maybe just being polite not wanting to show me their back! Now I can make the initial contact if they look up. Or sitting repeatedly next to me and again all the time looking at the mobile! I feel it may be rude if I interrupted them. But also wonder if I am losing out on a potential friend? What are your thoiughts? How do you guys handle this? What would be a good opening sentence in such a situation?
Maybe you could just start with a hello or a hi? I don't go to the gym, but I go to an institute to learn French a couple of times a week. I don't really talk to anyone else outside of class, but I've started to say Hello and Hi and wave to people between class, in the corridor and in the cafeteria. I did get to know some of them gradually after 2 weeks of that, when either I sat down at their table in the cafeteria or they came up to me to make small-talk. Of course, if they don't really respond to your greetings after a few days, maybe they're the sort of people (in the gym) who aren't looking to socialize. I know some people are so serious about their fitness, they don't really talk to others.
