15 Ways to be a great and helpful friend

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It’s said that the quality of our lives is largely determined by the quality of our friendships. Your traveling companions on the journey of life can pick you up when you fall, bring out your best, and propel you forward.

The surest way to have great friendships is to be a great friend. The bonus is that the skills you develop will translate well to your love life. In that spirit, we offer the following simple yet powerful ways to be a wonderful friend:

• Build trust: For all relationships—friends, lovers, coworkers—consistent demonstrations of trustworthiness form the bond that holds people together.

• Be there: Show up, physically and emotionally, for all of your friend’s important events (and unimportant ones, too).

• Practice positivity: Optimism beats pessimism hands’ down—and your friend will benefit from your upbeat attitude.

• Initiate consistently: Don’t wait for the other person to text or call you—take the initiative yourself.

• Cultivate transparency: Openness begets openness, so share from your heart and you’ll receive the same.

• Affirm differences: Celebrate the other person’s unique beliefs and lifestyle, even when they happen to conflict with your own.

• Learn the art of listening: Focus on your friend’s words with open ears and an open heart.

• Give generously: Pick up the tab, send a gift for no reason, offer to help move. A generous spirit will come back to you in unexpected ways.

• Make the time: Overcrowded schedules crowd out friendships—and very few items on your schedule are worth that.

• Empathise: Let your friend know you understand and relate to what he/she shares with you.

• Peel the onion: Make the effort to dig deep into the other person’s life to discover what lies below the surface.

• Accept the ebb and flow: Friendships go through times of closeness and times of distance. Stay committed throughout.

• Compliment often: Identify the areas of your friend’s awesomeness and mention them whenever possible.

• Apologise when you blow it: A sincere apology is the quickest and surest way to smooth over rough patches.

• Create new memories: Meeting at the same old coffee joint to catch up is fine, but friendships are deepened through shared adventure and discovery..

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