Wouldn’t you want to live your life in a company of good friends that make your life so much more special? This special group of strong friendships, no matter how small, could share with you moments of happiness and help you get through troublesome situations. Often, these friendships may be there for just a few years or even months. After which, your paths are no longer aligned. This is not always a bad thing. You can always meet new people and build new friendships. But what if you want to build strong friendship that will last a lifetime? Here are a few things you can do.
Be authentic to attract like-minded souls
There is a lot of people out there. However, not all of them have the potential to become your friends. This is because of the large variety in personality traits, hobbies, dreams or intellectual – and emotional levels. You can potentially become friends with anyone, but it may mean more compromise on both sides. If you want to build a long lasting friendship, I recommend choosing people you can connect with on a deeper level. Your authenticity is what will drive such people towards you. Be the person you want to attract more of in your life. For a deep dive into encounter these people in your life, check out this article on how to meet like-minded people.
Accept them for who they are
Assuming you followed the advice above, you will still need to learn to accept all the people in your life for who they are. It doesn’t matter how close your personalities match or how well you two get along at the start. There will be things you don’t agree on, and that’s OK! No two people are alike, and even if they were, they wouldn’t like each other more, trust me. Often, being compatible with someone means that you complement each other. The acceptance is therefore vital for the two of you to develop a powerful bond between each other. You can easily do this by recognizing that you are two distinct individuals with many similarities.
Communicate well and often enough
Effective communication is vital in every social interaction. It comes as no surprise that it matters also in developing a deep friendship. First, learn to sustain your friendship by keeping in touch as often as needed. There is not a set guideline on how often you should text your mate. Some people need daily interactions, and for some, this may feel too invasive and could be perceived as disturbing. The frequency of contact comes down to your personal preferences. You should be able to figure this out between the two of you.
Next, communicate well. Miscommunication creates meaningless arguments. Articulate your points well. In cases of ambiguous topics, find out whether they have understood you. Check out this article to learn more about effective communication.
Take your time
To build a friendship to last a lifetime won’t happen in an hour! Take your time to get to know each other. Spend time together and enjoy each other’s company. Only time will tell if you can trust and depend on one another. The test of time will show you the true importance of a relationship, including of any preferred changes or improvements necessary.
Endure struggles together
A unique approach to building strong and long-lasting friendships is to endure through challenging times together. This creates a special bond between people. If you and your friend are going through a hard time together, it will lead to a stronger friendship. This means to support each other during the tough times in whatever way possible.
Often, emotional support is all that is needed. Be available for your friends when they need someone to listen to their struggles. The beauty of this approach is that it works regardless of whether you overcome the challenge or get defeated by it. All that matter is that you are there for one another during the entire process. I can swear by this approach as I bonded with my best friend in such circumstances.
Building a strong friendship is an experience that requires two parties to work. It is as much up to you as up to them to keep it alive. Do not get yourself involved in a one-sided friendship because it will make you miserable. Instead, spend more time appreciating people around you who are there for you no matter what.
