Friends are the bedrock of our social engagement. From early childhood, we are constantly seeking meaningful friendships and our most prized friends, we lovingly call them our “best friends” or “friends forever”. Our friends have a significant influence on our thought process, attitude and psychological well-being as most often they are our pillars of comfort. The company we keep also influences how we perceive situations and interact with the society around us; therefore choosing your friends wisely and having a positive circle becomes imperative to have a healthy state of mind. As they say, you can’t change the people around you, but you can choose your company wisely & choose your friends carefully.
Also Read: 5 Types of People You Must Have In Your Life!
Are you choosing your friends wisely?
Ask yourself these simple 5 questions while cultivating friendships and you will get your answers. Here are the 5 tips that will help you choose your friends wisely:
1. Do you see value in their company?
Is your friend helping you evolve in any way, say they help you with a healthy lifestyle, academics, or have rich professional experience that you can learn from? May they are great at managing finance or fostering positive relationships and their outlook can help you become a better person. In nutshell, do you see meaningful growth being associated with them in some aspect of your life?
2. Do you get a positive vibe in their company?
Sure you want to stay away from pessimists, cynics and naysayers! A positive individual will help you reframe most life situations and perhaps even make you count your blessings. A negative person on the other hand will most likely indulge in bickering, gossiping, criticism and in general incite anger, jealousy or resentment inside of you. Remember, their emotional state has the potential to spill over on you!
3. Do you see yourself being able to trust them?
Trust is a fragile word. But it’s the foundation of solid friendships. A person whom you can trust will create a safe environment for you to share your deepest truths. They will likely let your secret remain a secret. They will hold you up in good esteem in public. They will keep their word. Their actions will match their words. And if you goofed up, they will even counsel you out of tricky situations with their earnest well-meaning advice.
4. Do you see yourself being valued?
A person who values you will create space in their life for you. In terms of time and effort. It will not seem like a one-sided chain of effort. Like all relationships, friendships too take effort else they fizzle out, out of sight is out of mind! In today’s fast-paced age, we are often conscious of how we spend our time and if you find your friend making time and space for you, it is a signal they value your company. The friendship must feel mutual.
5. Can you rely on your friend for well-meaning advice?
Yes, your friends have a role to play when you’re going through a crisis, say a heartbreak or loss of a job, which is to help you with good quality counsel that can help you piece your life together. They have your best interest at heart and support you with their objective guidance. A barometer for testing this quality is that even though a person may have gone through some bad situations, they retain a positive outlook towards life and believe in uplifting others.
In nutshell, a good friend is also your friend, philosopher and guide. With these simple yet intuitive tips, you can create a pool of rock-solid friendships for life. Remember, what you chose for yourself today has bearing on your tomorrow. So choose wisely, especially your company!
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