How to Make Good Friends
Friends are essential to everyone’s life. Friends help us with daily tasks and have the ability to change our lives. It can be difficult to make and keep friends, but it’s also easy to lose them. Most people make friends at school or with sports teams, but few make friends with intellectual interests. Making friends with a wide variety of people is vital for your development. It’s also important to know when to quit inviting someone into your social circle. Taking the right steps in these areas can make your life much easier.
Good social skills are vital when making or keeping friends. Social skills help you interact with others on a regular basis. This includes talking, listening and sharing interests with others. It’s also helpful when meeting with your parents or teachers for social occasions. Meeting new people instantly makes you more social and willing to talk about yourself. It’s also much easier to make plans with them and go out together. Regular social interactions build up into strong friendships that last a lifetime.
How to Be a Good Friend
Good and genuine friends are great to have in your life. But in order to earn them, you must also be a good friend to them. Here are 20 ways to be a good friend and even the best friend they can ever have.
1. Be a good listener.
Listen to your friends while they are talking and be enthusiastic about their life stories. A good friend is interested in what’s happening in their friends’ lives. So give them the chance to talk, listen eagerly, and make them feel that someone is interested in their stories too.
2. Admit your mistakes and weaknesses.
Avoid acting like an omnipotent and omniscient person. Understand that we cannot do or know everything. Being a know-it-all person will only annoy your friends. It will also make them feel that you don’t believe in them. To be a good friend, learn to humble yourself and show that like other human beings, you are also susceptible to making mistakes.
3. Be a peacemaker and learn to apologize sincerely.
Learn how to say sorry when you have hurt your friends, even if they have also hurt you. Be a peace-loving friend by being the first one to apologize. Prove your sincerity with humility.
4. Forgive them.
Forgive their sins even before they ask forgiveness from you. Some friends may not realize that they are already doing things that are offensive to you. Either you tell them frankly that they have offended you and they must apologize to you, or simply forgive them without telling them anyway. Your goal is to avoid hatred from growing and corrupting your heart.
5. Get rid of pride in your heart.
Pride is one of the most destructive forces in any relationship, including friendship. It’s not easy to show humility if your heart is corrupted by pride. With a proud heart, you will find it hard to apologize or forgive someone. Cleanse your heart with kindness, love, and compassion. Don’t plant hatred in your heart, as it amplifies the pride that exists inside.
6. Help your friends because they need it, not because you need it.
In other words, help them or give something to them because it makes them happy, not because it makes you happy or gives you some comfort. Helping a friend should be done without self-interest.
Make your friends feel that they can be trusted by sharing your problems. Make them feel that they are also needed and are dependable by asking them for some help.
8. Keep your promises and don’t lie.
Did you promise to be at your friend’s wedding day? Did you agree to go with them on a beach trip? Whatever your promises are, whether they are small or big, always deliver them. Do your best to not disappoint your friends.
9. Keep their secrets.
Keeping the secrets that they have entrusted you will show how trustworthy you are to them. Don’t make them feel betrayed. Take care and protect their secrets.
10. Trust them more.
Trust your friends’ own decisions and actions. Understand that they know what’s best for themselves. Also, trust the good pieces of advice they give you. Do not ignore their warnings. Understand that they only want what’s good for you.
Qualities of a Good Friend
1. Loyal: Good friends stay even when everyone else has left.
When the entire world has already abandoned you, your good friends will be the only ones left to help you stand again – and it’s everything that you’ll ever need.
Good friends will never let you feel that you’re alone even if you think that you don’t deserve anyone, especially after a failure or a disappointment.
2. Accepting: A good friend doesn’t judge you for being different.
A good friend will respect your decisions and accept how you want to live your life – even if they don’t understand it. They will be there for you to help you celebrate the person you want to become. They will encourage you to recognize your uniqueness, and they will be there to help you face the world without the fear of being judged or rejected.
3. Honest: Good friends let you see reality as it is.
Good friends won’t sugarcoat things, especially if they know that letting you deny reality can eventually harm you. They will be there to slap you with the most painful truth, even if it means hurting your feelings.
4. Caring: A good friend will remind you to be good to yourself.
A good friend is that person who will remind you to love yourself more. They will remind you every day to look after yourself more and be good to yourself first instead of slowly breaking your heart because of a toxic partner.
5. Inspiring: A good friend teaches you how to become a better person.
Good friends are your real-life guide to becoming the best version of yourself. They will inspire you to be a better person by learning to be a more caring, loving, and kind individual.
6. Comforting: Good friends make you feel safe and at peace with yourself.
A good friendship can be your sanctuary – a refuge from the chaos and the mess of work, school, and other aspects of your busy life.
7. Supportive: A good friend believes in your potential to reach your dreams.
A good friend will always see the best in you – even if you’re already too ambitious. For them, you can do anything you put your soul into because they believe in your potential.
8. Committed: A good friend will always be in your life no matter what.
Even if they’re far away and regardless of the years that you’re apart, you will always have a friend in them – because a good friendship is forever. It’s the best kind of relationship that you will ever have with another person. It will never end: no breakups, no goodbyes – just pure love, respect, and appreciation of being connected with this particular soul.
How to Show Your Friends that You Care
1. Tell them how much you care.
3. Appreciate and compliment them.
4. Be there when they need you.
5. Always communicate with them.
6. Make time with them.
7. Celebrate their accomplishments.
9. Surprise them!
10. Go on new adventures.
11. Encourage them during bad times.
12. Understand their struggle.
13. Ask them if they need help from you.
14. Be a loyal and caring friend for them every day.
