You can make friends. There is no one who doesn’t need a friend. Remember the old adage – no one is an island? When there are billions of people around the world, why live alone?
Though having friends is good, making friends is an art. For most of us, it comes naturally (in that sense, we are all artists!). Nevertheless, learning this art is helpful and productive.
Though there are many ways to make friends, here is a smart way to do that: Be a friend to others! Though it appears simplistic, it is, in fact, the foundation for all other ways. Without this, nothing works.
Sometimes we wait for others to take the initiative to become our friend. It comes in thoughts like “Let him call me. Then I will call him” or “Why should I go after her? If she needs me, let her come to me”. Though it may sound logical, it surely won’t produce friendship.
If we really want good friends, we got to take the initiative to be good friends to others. Making friends isn’t automatic. It takes intentional planning, work and giving from our part.
How can you be a good friend to others? Here are five practical suggestions which you can apply today on.
1. Talk to people you like. Just dial their numbers and talk to them over phone. You will be surprised how happy most of them will be to hear your voice and to know that you care to call them.
2. Spend time with family. If you are married, your spouse is the best friend you can ever have. Your children want you as their friend though most of them may not call you ‘my friend’. Your extended family is also a potential crowd for nurturing friendship. Utilize these avenues and intentionally spend quality time with your family.
3. Extend help to people. There are many around you who need help. Find some of them and extend the needed help. It may be assisting someone at the hospital for an hour or giving financial aid to a jobless person. It can also be encouraging a local retail owner or counseling someone who is going to get married.
4. Attend get-togethers. Get-togethers come in different forms like birthday parties, wedding, annual celebrations, conferences, retreats, even memorial services. Participating in such events help you get connected with new people as well as rejuvenate old contacts.
5. Be available for people. If you are a work addict, break it. It is better to be surrounded with people than work! Yes, we must do our work. But we also need to give proper time to building strong relationships with people because one day work will be over but even then, we need people.
Besides these five suggestions, you can also make use of the internet to make genuine friends. If you are not happy with the world of the web, these five ideas are more than enough to enjoy healthy relationships.
So, remember: be a friend to others and you will have good friends!
Question: What do you do to make good friends? Share your comments here.
© Joe Abraham. www.joeandancy.com. June 18, 2012
Image courtesy: freedigitalphotos.net
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