How to Have the Perfect Circle of Friends

One of the greatest difficulties that people can face in life is a lack of friends or people to share experiences with. Friends can play an incredibly important role in our lives, both filling our hearts with love and allowing for us to happily share experiences with one another. Sometimes we have feelings of sadness or inadequacy because we either feel we don’t have enough friends or are unhappy with the ones we have chosen to keep around. In either scenario, the feelings are only temporary and there are many things that we can do to change our friendship situations. Below is a list of activities you can engage in to surround yourself with ideal individuals who can potentially go on to become long-term friends and acquaintances.

Drop any lingering toxic influences.

This may be the most difficult step, but will also be the most rewarding. Very often, we can hold on tightly to relationships and make excuses for why we do so; whether we have had that person in our life for a long time, our parents were friends when we were children, or that person has been there for us during especially trying times… We should not lower our standards and expectations for the sake of keeping toxic friends around. It is okay to walk away from those who are not good influences, bring emotional or physical pain to us, and simply do not contribute positively to our lives. Remember that this is your life and you need to take care of yourself first, and it is very possible to live without toxicity around you. If your relationship with the toxic person in question can be saved simply by better communication, you can definitely make that attempt first. If communication of your needs and wants prove unsuccessful, it may be time to cut your ties.

Find happiness in being alone.

One of the most important things you can do to benefit all relationships in your life is to find happiness individually within yourself. You will have no love to give others if you don’t first love yourself, and this can be a rewarding experience that will extend to all aspects of your life. Find feelings of comfort and happiness in being alone by engaging in activities that allow you to feel fulfilled, setting and completing personal goals in various arenas of your life, and building confidence in yourself.

Spend your time experiencing activities that you are passionate about.

One of the easiest ways to allow compatible friends into your life is by continually engaging in activities you are passionate about. It would be best to find public events or activities that target your favorite hobbies, such as a painting class or a marathon. This will surround you by people who share similar interests and will be a great conversation starter if you decide to reach out to those people. Additionally, sharing a similar passion with people will allow for future activities that can be enjoyed by both parties. Although we have been programmed with the notion that opposites attract and that may be true in special circumstantial relationships within your life, compatibility and common interests typically go a long way.

Allow yourself to be open to others.

You cannot make friends and expand your circle if you are unwilling to be open to others. It is perfectly acceptable to have a list of standards for the individuals that you want to consider friends, and that list should be taken into consideration when meeting new people or dealing with existing relationships. With that being said, having standards and blatantly turning down opportunities to engage in new friendships are very different things and you should seek to find a happy medium between the two. If you are searching for friendship, you should be willing to initially engage enough with the potential influences before determining whether they would be a good fit in your life or not. This step can be filled with a lot of trial and error to find somebody who fits your friendship needs, but it is important to stay motivated and keep trying. When you finally find somebody you click with, the compatibility should feel natural and organic as opposed to forced.

Overview:

• It is okay to walk away from toxic relationships.
• You cannot love others unless you first love yourself.
• Surround yourself with people who enjoy your favorite activities.
• Allow yourself to be receptive of others.