The Essential World of Friendship

As we move through life at record speed we find that too many things are spiraling out of our control. We can’t choose our genetics or our parents, and we find ourselves not being able to manage the things that happen in the world around us. But there’s one thing that we can control, and that’s who we choose as friends and lovers. It’s a decision that by itself, can make our lives much richer and meaningful or more stressful and disappointing.

Having solid friendships is important for two main reasons. First, they make life more enjoyable as we get to share the consquential aspects of life with people who we love while we enrich everyday experiences. Second, our friends can help us through the difficult times in our lives, while supporting us through hard times that can often make unimaginably difficult situations seem much more tolerable.

The most beautiful and rewarding part about pouring our time and energy into friendships is that not only do friends help enrich our lives, but we share that enrichment. I urge you to take stock of your friendships and ask yourself if your current friends build you up and support you, or is the friendship more one-sided?

What I hope you take away from this post is this — friendships take energy, time, and commitment, and if you’re putting your time and energy into someone who isn’t enriching your life with the support you need, it may be the time to re-evaluate that friendship.

In many ways, the most important friendship in our lives is the one we have with our romantic partners. The first criterion we should look for in a partner is someone who has ultimately become a good friend to us, meaning that they are kind, positive, loving, and most importantly supportive.

When there are bumps in a friendship or a romantic relationship, it’s important to work through the tough times. The tricky part is that it takes two people to fix those issues. We can only control our actions and hold ourselves accountable, but we cannot control our friends’ or partner’s reactions. In addition to our actions, we have control over the friends and partners we have from the very beginning. If we prioritize choosing good people who we can trust will work issues out with us, then we can work through almost anything.

Friendships are a crucial part of living a fulfilling and authentic life, so we must surround ourselves with people we have fun with, who support us, and who make us better people. Even if you already have profound friendships, it’s never too late to create new ones that will make your life even more significant and magnificent. 

Blessings my dear friends,