There are great love stories, but great friendship stories are always funnier and more relatable.
A great friendship can't happen accidentally.
It needs effort, love, care, and time. And if you are lucky enough, you will find your tribe along the way. You will find your people, and you will lean on them through your life's journey.
And when you find them, you need to be careful, don't take them for granted. We all appreciate it when someone says, "you got a friend in me."
Check eight ways to keep your friendships strong.
8 Simple Tips To Keep Your Friends close
1. I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too
Modern life is hectic; it's true. We find ourselves struggling every day with job, family, relationships, needs, and wants responsibilities. So do our friends. Before you start talking about, you take a moment to ask them about their lives.
Keep in mind that to share your secrets, your problems, you need to listen first. So take a deep breath and listen carefully to your friend.
2. Save the date for your next meeting while you are still together
Time flies, and if you think about it often, we say "see you soon" to our friends and then weeks, even months pass by, and you haven't met.
To avoid this from happening, you can save the date for your next meeting while you are still together. Make plans with them and figure out the best way to fit in each other's schedules.
3. Share memories:
Take some time to be nostalgic about the good old days. It's nice making new memories, but sharing the old ones is excellent. Give it a try, and you'll find yourselves laughing your heart out even with things that, when actually happened, weren't funny at all.
4. Try different ways of catching up:
Brunches, lunches, coffee, drinks, all these are the good old-fashioned ways to catch up. And they are great. But, every relationship needs to be versatile, change prices things up. So try something different for your next meeting!
Go for a walk, visit this exhibition that you both are interested in, see a play. Discover new things to talk about.
5. Reach out first
If you want to see, your friend pick up the phone and schedule something, or even just talk to them. Make the first move to meet them. Don't always wait for them, they might have been busy, or even hesitate to contact you in order not to bother you.
6. Don't count what you're giving:
"If you've got troubles, and I've got 'em too
There isn't anything, I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and can see it through"
We all know the lyrics of this song, and it shows to us that you can't keep score about what you're sharing with your friends.
7. Stay connected:
When you can't meet, figure out other ways to let them know that you think about them. Technology has provided us with all the means to stay connected no matter the distance.
8. Avoid great expectations:
Your friends are human beings. Never forget about it, so keep your expectations realistic about your friendships. Love your friends with all their flaws, don't try to change them. Keep it real.
Also, set your boundaries too. You respect their efforts.
Sometimes, though, no matter our efforts, some friendships don't last.
Not all friendships can last forever. Following the tips, as mentioned above, can help a lot to keep your friends close as time goes by.
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