When was the last time you made a new friend? People, as they get older, find it more difficult to make friends, and wrap themselves in a virtual cocoon preventing others from offering their friendship. Friendship is one of the best things to happen in life. Living in an everyday society with stress from work to home, and with societal tensions flaring up, people need friends in their lives at least for the sake of maintaining sanity.
Friends help you gain a better understanding of who you are, help you meet up with a larger circle of connections including romantic ones, keep you happy, share your sorrow, advise you in difficult circumstances, give a helping hand when you need it the most, and the best of friends gives you a reality check when you go off the rails. Having a strong set of friends can enable you to accomplish great things in society.
How to make friends
Be positive
Just like the blood group, be positive. It’s hard to pretend to be happy when life’s giving you one challenge after another. But your attitude does not need to depend on external circumstances. You can train yourself to be affected only with things you can actually control, and leave the rest. Life can get tiring if you work up emotions based on every single thing happening around you. When you maintain positivity or at least manage to see the good in things, this quality will attract people to you.
Be authentic
People are tired of the fake stuff all around them — from other people to products. They crave authenticity. They want to associate with someone who is trustworthy and does not pretend to be liked or for any other reason. Honest, truthful people are somewhat of a shortage in the world, and if you cultivate this quality, people will want to associate with you and be within your circle.
Live life
Life is not meant to be spent sitting inside your homes, watching the world go by. You need to get up and live life. Go do something interesting, like a long hike through the mountains, travel to distant places, have some experiences that enrich your perspective, making it more meaningful. What this does is foster a good nature within yourself, and this exuberance will be contagious enough to attract some new people into your life. This is impossible if you sit cooped up in your home.
Be vulnerable
Don’t close yourself off to other people. Show them your genuine emotions, and who you are as a person — your soft side. Remember, only the strong have the courage to reveal their weakness. People are not perfect, and they connect with others who are likewise imperfect. People are genuinely interested in faulty individuals and some are even attracted to them. Because when you show your vulnerability, don’t pretend, and even joke about it, that reveals your character. In this dangerous world where you can’t easily trust anyone, those who show vulnerability stand out.
Be caring
We never let go of anyone who we know cares for us with all their heart. Why? Because we know they want what’s best for us, and will not take advantage of us. That is why this is a worthy quality to possess. Be caring, and when you do it, do it with all your heart. Do this, and your number of friends will increase along with the quality of your friendships.
Make time
When you get busy with life, do not forget that there are some things you just cannot gloss over. Building and maintaining good friendships is one of them. So make a schedule and leave out some time every week to talk with old friends and catch up. Maintaining a social life is a skill, and if you don’t practice, you’ll get worse at it. With old age comes bitterness. Prevent that feeling from enveloping you; try to see the goodness in everyone.
Making new friends is certainly an intimidating prospect. But the rewards are great; good friends just make life worth living.
