Did you ever wonder…
How do we pick our friends?
And why do we pick certain people over others?
Well, if you didn’t before, you will surely start now :)
We go through life meeting numerous people in our day to day social and professional interactions. Unbeknownst to us, a subconscious compatibility selection process takes place to determine who will remain an acquaintance, and who will become a friend, a close friend, or possibly even our best friend.
This process can be described by the following 4 stages:
“Acquaintances”, Stage (1); Is where we determine through casual conversation the compatibility between our personalities. If we’re compatible, we both make the cut and move up to stage (2): “Friends”.
At this stage we get to know one another, and over time determine if in addition to enjoying each other’s personality, we also share similar core values. If we do, we advance to stage (3) and become “Close Friends”.
We start spending a significant amount of time together. We share experiences, build trust, and confide in one another. We get to know each other really well and determine if we share a similar outlook with respect to life meaning and purpose. If we do, we advance to the summit of friendships, stage (4) and become “best friends”.
The more our life philosophies are aligned, the stronger our bond will become. At this stage, many people no longer consider each other as friends but rather as family.
While we all long for a stage (4) friendship, it's a rare find. Quite often, the hope of finding this unicorn of friendships deludes us into thinking that a certain friendship is “it” where in reality “it” is not.
The good news is, that by clearly defining your core values and life meaning, you will become aware of what you stand for and be able to determine more accurately who should be a friend, a close friend, and potentially a best friend.
As the old adage goes; tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are”.
check out the blog post titled: Your Coat of Arms and learn how to determine and define your Core values and Life meaning.
If you like this idea, join our mailing list to receive free, weekly, bite-sized, personal growth ideas. We would also love to get your feedback. And if you want to do something really amazing, please click the thumps up icon, share it with others and let’s get more people to thrive.
Comments