A Friendship Recipe

A well-written recipe is one that lists all ingredients, the amount needed and the time frame in which the dish should be prepared. Friendship is somewhat like a recipe; it has specific things that are needed to make it the best. When you think of friendship you think about people who make your heart smile and life would be downside without them present. Let’s talk about five ways we can be better friends.

Be considerate – consideration requires you to think about the other person and not yourself. What are the things that you would want for yourself? Think about your friends and how your actions can enhance or affect your relationship. If you are a good friend you will also let your friend know when their actions reflect that of a person who is inconsiderate so that they can improve.

Be a good listener – some people hear what you say but their actions show that they were not listening. Listening to a person shows them that you care about what they are saying. This may be reflected in the things you say and do. Everyone likes to be listened to. It’s one of the best ways to make things better in a friendship.

Be kind – being kind does not mean that you always have to give tangible gifts. Being kind means that you can say or do things that have a positive impact on your friend. Compliments and words of affirmation are just two ways you can be kind today.

Be honest – it important that within a friendship you exercise honesty. Honesty is all about being truthful even when it’s easier to lie. Honesty shows transparency and has no room for lies. You will always remember what you said when being honest but that is not guaranteed when you have told a lie.

Learn to compromise – friendship is not a one-way street. Since we were all made differently, we will have our own thoughts, feelings and opinions and so will our friends. There is no way your way is the only way and so you have to learn how to compromise. Learn to settle on an agreement that in the end benefits you and your friend(s).

Friendship like many other relationships can be difficult to sustain if these ingredients are not a part of it. There are many other things that make a friendship like forgiveness, confidence, respect, selflessness and so forth. We must first place a value on friendship to understand its importance. Many tend to be of the belief that they were born alone and so they can do things all by themselves. Quite frankly we would have never made it this far in our lives if it weren’t for friendship.

IG: @_always.laugh