The Joys of Friendship

Buddy, pal and BFF are all words we use to describe our friends. Whether they stem from our childhood or from our colleagues at work, friendships are continuously developing.

Each friendship you make has a unique meaning and purpose in your life. Each set of friends hold an important role of helping you succeed and being happy.  The number of friends you have should never be compared to the amount of happiness and success that they bring you into your life.

Friends should not bring havoc to your life, but joy and make life easier to get through. My friends have helped me through times that I thought I would ever get through. In my opinion, having a small set of close friends has helped me through these periods of my life. Not many people know much about my personal life and that makes me  comfortable knowing not everyone is familar with my personal struggles.

Weaknesses and flaws are never the first thing you want someone to find out about you. True friends overlook the struggles you face and help bring you through them. Friends should always want you to succeed in every aspect of your life, not just the areas in which you are strongest. They should always be there to motivate you no matter the issue or reasoning. Too many people will be there to support you when you are stron but true, friends will be the ones who support and motivate you through the weak times.

Friendship should not be when it is most convenient for you or the other individual. Many people will be a friend when you have something to offer, something they want, or something appealing to them. The more friends, the more successful you may feel. Many times this is not the case, the individuals that you thought were there for you are gone now that the excitement in your life is astray.

The quality of your friends should always be the first and only thing that matters when choosing the people that you are always around. Having loads of people who know your deep secrets or flaws is not a self-protecting tactic. People will use your weaknesses against you if they do not truly care about you.

Once you reach the college level, you become full time students and most get some type of job. The free time you and your friends once had is gone. You and your friends’ focus is shifted from spending time with each other to focus on school and work. There is nothing wrong with this. It is life. The limited time that you have with them should feel the same as it did before.

It should never be about the amount of time, it should be about the value of the time spent. When I spend time with my friends, it does not feel like time has passed. It feels like I saw them a day ago, not a month ago. I think that is how all friendships should be. There should be no pressure of not seeing them because sometimes the time is not there.

Talking and catching up with your friends is a must, but not necessarily an everyday occurrence. I do not think enough things happen on a daily basis to constantly keep in contact with someone. Your friends should feel like they have someone when they need a friend, whether that is everyday or every three months.

Friends should keep you on the right road of life, no matter what the road may be. In my opinion, a smaller circle of friends is easier and makes life less difficult.

If you have friends that do not have the same core values as you but are fun to be around, they may lead you away from your goals. Friendship should be about fun, but should also aid you in your dreams and goals. It should influence you in a positive way.

To me, the point of a friendship should be to feel relaxed and supported when around them.

Surrounding yourself with a select few that help push you towards those goals and dreams would benefit you greatly.

by Leah Carpenter