Making Successful Friends

[Alex SImon]

So, I've found myself in an odd place lately:  I'm successful.  For me, that's brand new, and I don't know how to deal with it properly; I'm much more accustomed to the whole "three part-time jobs and scrambling to make rent" scenario, but I'll gladly take where I'm at over where I was. 

Anyway.  The other day, I realized that I really don't have any successful friends.  It's not anyone's fault, really.  The economy sucks for most people and if I hadn't left the country to pursue a dangerous career move, I'd still be stuck in the muck alongside everyone I ever knew.  But it does present an impediment since I don't know anyone on a personal level who can remotely relate to the stuff I'm doing in my life.

So how do you go about making new, successful friends?  I mean, don't get me wrong I network like anyone else.  But when we network on sites like BP, we're just falling into symbiotic relationships, essentially using each other as tools for mutual benefit (i.e., lenders and buyers and sellers all coming together to do business in good faith), and that's great for what it is.  But actually being able to connect on a personal level is pretty rare.

Anyone got any advice on upgrading my social circle?