Friendships are so important. I don't know about you, but they bring so much happiness, laughter, fulfillment, hope and so much more into my life. So of course, maintaining your friendships is crucial. If you treat your friends like crap, you won't have any. Here are some friendship rules I try to live by. I'm by no means perfect and friends come and go... but these tips are always good to keep in mind.
1. Put your friends before yourself sometimes. There will definitely be times when a friend will invite you somewhere and you don't want to go. They will ask you a favor that you don't want to do. Or maybe they just need a friend to listen and you're "too busy". Now, don't let anyone walk all over you or take advantage and sometimes you'll need to say "no", but keep in mind a friendship has two sides. You can't expect your friend to do nice things for you if you don't do it for them!
So head with your friend to her doctor's appointment if she's nervous, go cheer your friend on at his basketball game, tag along when a friend wants you to run errands with them, etc. Doing something with or for a friend is sometimes the right thing to do. When faced with an invite that I don't want to do, I'll ask myself... would it mean a lot to this person if I did this? Would I just be sitting around otherwise? If yes, just do it. I bet you won't even mind running around helping a friend run errands because it will make them happy and you'll both share a laugh or two.
2. Be kind and send reminders that you cherish the friendship. There are so many ways to tell someone you care! Send a card 'just because', treat your friend to lunch, attend an event that is important to them (sports, dance recital, whatever...), send a quick Facebook message or text to say hi and the list goes on.
3. I've found that sometimes people just don't make plans. I'll get annoyed that I always seem to be the one to keep in touch with a friend or make plans or say hello, but some people just don't. I try not to put any meaning behind it and just be proud of the fact that I am a planner and put effort into my friendships. If you're a planner too, cherish it about yourself and keep planning! If you notice maybe you're a procrastinator or forget to keep in touch, work on it and let your friends know you haven't forgotten about them. The best day is today!
4. Lastly, read more. I found this great list of the top friendship qualities. I totally agree with all of them! They are just good qualities to have to be an amazing friend.
Tell me, in what ways are you a good friend? Or describe an amazing friend you have!
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