FriendShip

Friends indeed

There's a certain beauty in being alone wolf.

You have more time to do things you want to do,

like talk to yourself,

play solitaire,

write poetry or articles,

or try to carry that couch into your new apartment

all by yourself.

If that's not your bag, though,

there are literally billions of potential friends in the world.

What's more, many of these people

want to make friends just as much as you do.

Follow these steps to meet new people and form strong,

lasting friendships with at least some of them.

Get out and meet people!

If you want to make friends, you first need to meet people.

No matter where you live,

this should be fairly easy.

Just in case you're stumped, here are just a few suggestions.

Talk to people.

You can join a club, go to school, or go to temple,

and you still won't make friends if you don't actually talk to people.

By the same token,

you don't have to be involved with an organisation to talk to people,

and any time you talk to someone,

you have a chance at making a lasting friend.

You can talk to anybody:

the clerk at the video store,

the person sitting next to you on the bus

or the person in front of you in the unemployment line.

Be a good listener.

Many people think that in order to be seen as

`friend material'

they have to appear very interesting.

Far more important than this, however,

is the ability to show that you're interested in others.

Listen carefully to what people say,

remember important details about them

(their names, their likes and dislikes),

ask questions about their interests,

and just take the time to learn more about them.

People love to talk about themselves,

and the easiest way to be likable is to listen.

Be reliable.

The steps above are great for making acquaintances,

but how do acquaintances become lifelong friends?

One important trait of a good friend is reliability.

When you say you'll do something, do it.

Be someone that people know that they can count on.

Be trustworthy.

One of the best things about having a friend

is that you have someone to whom you can talk about anything,

even secrets that you hide from the rest of the world.

The key to being a good confidante is the ability to keep secrets,

so it's no secret that you shouldn't tell other people things

that were told to you in confidence.

Be there.

You've probably heard of fair-weather friends.

They're the ones who are happy to be around you

when things are going well, but are nowhere to be found

when you really need them.

Part of being a friend is being prepared to make sacrifices

of your time and energy in order to help out your friends.

Accept everyone for who they are and never bring

anyone down or try to change someone

(especially if they've done nothing to hurt or offend you).

This communicates insecurity.

Always trust your gut feelings about people.

If you feel someone (as nice as they may seem) is not the right person

to make friends with, then move along.

Don't be clingy.

You never want to seem desperate.

Don't chide acquaintances for failing to invite you to a party, for example;

don't call someone over and over or stop by uninvited;

and never overstay your welcome anywhere.

In general, take friendship slowly,

and don't try to become close to somebody right away.