Friendship

How to deal with loneliness?

2011-05-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

People feel lonely for a number of reasons, such as not having enough friends, not knowing how to be close to the people they know, or not being accepted by those they try to be friends with.

Everyone experiences loneliness. Some humans are more socially accepted. Some who try to be social remain socially rejected, and some have difficulty even trying.

Steps

Realize that we all get lonely. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you. We're particularly prone to loneliness when we're making transitions, especially for the better. If you're changing, such as exploring new alternatives and paths for yourself, you're bound to get a little lonely as you look for people who share your new interests and thoughts.
Call or get together with the people you know, even if they aren't who you want to be with right now. Human contact makes more contact easier. This includes your mother and the guy at the deli counter. Listen more than talk. Listening, and drawing people out will deepen your contacts more than just talking endlessly about yourself. Do not exhaust your existing connections; these are all you have at the moment.
Get involved in anything where you will meet people. If you are very shy, find a group for social anxiety, even if it has to be online (obviously it's better if it's not). Look on places like Craig's List for activities in your area. Volunteering can help. But don't attend functions with the idea of making friends or meeting people. Being too demanding is a sign of loneliness. Try to go with no expectations whatsoever, and to enjoy yourself regardless of what happens.
Challenge yourself to take the initiative in social relationships whenever you can. You ask the person if they want to chat, get a coffee, whatever. Remember how much you like it when people are attracted to you. Remember though, that you are trying to make a place for yourself in another person's life. Do not think that just showing up will win you instant friends. It can be a long, painstaking process, and most people you meet already have their own friends and lives. You must always show interest in other people before they will show interest in you, if they ever do.
Take risks about revealing yourself. Say what's on your mind, if it seems at all likely the other person will be receptive. It can hurt when it backfires, but it's worth it a million times over if it works.
Remember that we are all alone inside our heads; we are born and die alone; it's nothing special. Every person who has ever lived has been lonely. Love wouldn't exist without loneliness to inspire it. Look at your loneliness with detachment.
Notice the difference between loneliness and solitude. Imagine this is the last day you will ever be alone. What would you do?
Join an online community. Sometimes it can help. If you're willing to help others as well as being helped yourself, check out the free Phone Buddies peer counseling community. Remember to be safe when online though not everyone is who they say they are and predators feed off of loneliness.
When feeling lonely, don't allow yourself to wallow in your loneliness. Do something, anything! Take a walk, ride your bike. Explore activities and hobbies, trying new things. Having experience gives you a basis upon which you can comment in more social situations (thus talk to more people) and strike up conversations that will interest other people.
Do everything you would normally do with a partner or friend. Many times it isn't the partner or friend you are missing, but the activities and hobbies you shared. Take yourself out for a date. For example, if you would have gone out to dinner or to a movie on a date, then take yourself out to a movie or to a nice restaurant. Don't hold yourself back. It is not strange to be by yourself and out doing things!
Spend time with your family. Even if you don't have a great history with a family member, chances are they will take you up on an invitation. You can share friends and meet new people together. This will help diminish that awkward feeling of being alone in public.
Remember that the reason you are self-conscious is because everyone is self-conscious. People are not focusing on your faults -- rather, they are more likely focusing on their own.

1. http://makingfriendconnection.com

How to say you're sorry

2011-03-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

How To Say You’re Sorry on Howcast

http://makingfriendconnecction.com

How to save a friendship

2011-03-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

"Friends are like stars. You don't always see them but you know they are there." Once said by someone wise, this quote sums up how easy it is to take a friendship for granted, and yet, just as stars fade away, so do friendships from time to time. Whether it's because your circumstances have changed, time has passed and eroded commonalities, or something has been said or done that has spoiled things between you, it's sad and often painful to experience a fading or dying friendship.

If you believe that it's worth trying to save your friendship, then it is worth it. The only time it's not worth trying is when you've stopped believing in the friendship. So, if you're still stirred by a friendship that has given you priceless moments, unconditional love, and treasured memories, at least give saving the friendship a chance. While problems are inevitable, if both of you see the value in saving the friendship, focusing on fixing things may just be effective, and your friendship may even come through this trial better and stronger than before.

STEPS

Act now. The moment you're aware that there's a chasm opening wider than the Grand Canyon between the two of you, do something about it. Waiting will only bring about an inevitable permanency of the loss of your friendship. Be prepared to be the one who makes the initial steps; your friend may be laboring under the belief that it's something you've done to harm the friendship, so it's not worth waiting around for her to solve things.

Do some honest analysis of the situation. Sit down and think back to where it all went wrong. Was it your fault? Was it something you said or did or didn't say or do although you should have? This involves thinking about your inaction as well, such as all those times you failed to make a call to see how your friend was, or when you missed appointments, or failed to show up at important events.

If it was your fault, apologize. Briefly explain your side of the story and avoid making excuses or shifting the blame. By taking responsibility for your part in damaging the friendship, you demonstrate to your friend that your desire to keep them as a friend is more important than your pride or sense of self-righteousness.

Talk, talk, talk. If you can't seem to find the reason for the growing interpersonal distance between you and your friend, suggest that the two of you simply talk. Tell your friend that you're sad that things don't seem to be that great between the two of you anymore and that you'd really like to work out whether it might be possible to restore the friendship you had in the past. Your willingness to work through the issues will be appreciated, especially if you make it clear that you're totally open to hearing their side of the story. Try not to interrupt your friend while explaining their side of the story. Instead, listen attentively.

Listen to your friend. If a third party has been telling different stories to both of you to cause conflicts, listening to your friend is the best way to spot it. Ask who told them that if you hear that you said something you'd never say in a million years. It's amazing how fast a third party liar's mind games blow up in their face once the victims compare notes. So even if someone is trying to avoid you, ask why and be prepared to listen no matter what your friend says.

http://makingfriendconnection.com

How to Be Friends with Everyone

2011-02-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

Now, there is always a way to be friends with everyone. Labelling is what everyone does. Goth, Punk, Prep, Geek, Jock, it's a cycle we're all familiar with. Making friends with all of them will be easy just follow the tips!

1. Understand where the group is coming from. If the group you want to be friends with is a shy group, and you're a little more sociable, never ask them "Why don't you talk?" or "Why are you quiet?" They hate that. It's rude. Don't do it. If you're shy and you want to get into a sociable group, then just try to get a little attention, but try not to over do it. No one likes a show off.

2. Remember that each group will be different. They will use different words, find different things funny or respectable, or will have very different ways of "hanging out". Observe what is appropriate for each group, and act accordingly, but don't change yourself just to fit in. You are who you are.

3.       Always be outgoing, and going out. Be outgoing and you will gain popularity within a group. Go out a lot in order to hang out with different groups. Being friends with everyone is time and energy consuming, because you must be friendly, outgoing, and willing to hangout, leaving yourself very little time to yourself. That is something you have to consider before going and trying to be so popular.

4.       Make sure to ask people what they are doing over the weekend before the weekend. But don't make plans right away. Often, something will be going on unplanned, and you want to go hang out with that group at that time. As long as you make sure to be out and about, plans are not necessary.

5.       Maintain the friendliness with everyone. You are friends with them and friendly with others.

6.       Consider what everyone thinks. If they are truly your friends, talk to them. It's not the best thing to tell your very good friend lies, there's a good chance that they're going to find out.

7.       Always smile and have a positive attitude. When you meet someone or see them in the hallways or work smile at them and they will think you’re outgoing.

Tips

Ditching your old friends for other people is a terrible thing to do. Just try to be friendly. If you have a few best friends or one best friend - never lose them.
Keeping clean is a major thing to keep in mind. Shower every day. Wash your face, brush your teeth. No matter what.
Don't be afraid to talk to people. Meeting strangers is the best way to make new friends!
Never assume that everyone fits into 'Jock', 'Geek', 'Goth', etc. Being classed like that can often hurt people's feelings (even if they call themselves one of these names proudly, don't say it yourself - respect their right to diss themselves or whatever, but don't imitate it).

Learn 5 Steps of Social Blueprint. Click here.

Tips On How To Get Along With People

2011-01-31T05:20:00.000-08:00

It isn’t easy trying to get along with people. Everybody is different and no two individuals are unique. If you put two people together in a dome for a month, they will most likely wind up getting at each other’s throats.

In this article, we will talk about a few tips on how you can achieve true tranquility in human relationships.

People are only human. Don’t expect too much from them and you will be able to love your friends more. If you expect too much from them, you will strain the friendship and you will not get what you want in the end (albeit temporarily but it is not advisable to strain the friendship)

We mustn’t take ourselves too seriously either. When we are too critical of ourselves, chances are, we will be extremely critical of other people. We can’t measure others with the yardstick which we use to measure ourselves with.

You can also learn to stop blaming others for your problems. They are not responsible for your happiness. If you keep on blaming others, you will never take responsibility towards your friendships and you will sit down and wonder why everyone has abandoned you.

Learn to say “NO” sometimes. Be assertive about the NO without over-reacting or hurting others in the process. The easiest way to go insane is to try and be everything to everyone.

Hug people often. I don’t care what culture or family background you are from. When you hug people, it’s therapeutic. When you hug people, your body releases endorphins that will give you a good feeling so make sure you find someone you can regularly hug with.

Do NOT humiliate people in public. People can get beaten up physically and still look heroic but when you make someone ‘lose face’, you strip their ego naked and they will hate you for life.

Don’t jump to conclusions. Clarify everything by asking questions first or else you will hurt people’s feelings.

Learn the value of compliments. It is free to give out and it heals our souls in many ways. It is good to feel validated by others because we all need to feed our egos sometimes.

When you give, don’t make the mistake of telling others the ‘cost’ of your ‘gift’. It’s like saying, “Happy birthday, dear! P.S. Your diamond ring costs me $5,000 and I hope you appreciate it!” No strings attached please!

Don’t wait too long to tell someone you love them. They could be dead before you have the chance.

God gave us two ears and one mouth. So make sure you listen twice as much and speak only half as much – not the other way.

MakingFriendConnection.com

Why Do People Lie?

2011-01-25T05:24:00.000-08:00

Human beings are liars. They lie all the time directly or insipiently. A white lie is still a lie. Exaggeration is a lie because it stretches the truth to insurmountable proportions.

If you want to get along with people is not to expose the lies they say. Some people like to have total honesty in a friendship and that isn’t a bad thing. The problem is they don’t realize that due to the nature of human beings, lying comes so naturally that people get offended by it and it leads to trouble.

We must ‘give face’ to others and learn to live and let live.

Here are a few reasons why men and women lie.

When you go to a social gathering, you will notice people making new friends and talking to one another.

One thing you will notice about human behavior is that they will tend to exaggerate about what they are doing. You will hear about tales of grandeur and sometimes, you may feel sick about it. Sometimes, you will hear them brag about the craziest things! They may talk about their careers, their children’s accomplishments, their traveling adventures, or even what their dog did in the afternoon! You will see all kinds of fancy tales of exaggeration everywhere!

I’m not saying that they are condemned, outright liars, but it is actually quite natural for people, especially men to ‘lie’ a little about their accomplishments.

If you want to make friends, allow them to tell their little stories, but make sure you take it with a pinch of salt. After all, we don’t want to burst their bubble and make enemies now, do we?

You see, in life, we must learn to give and take. Even when it is outside of a party and inside the home or with your friends, this behavior will always be around. People just don’t want to look bad in front of other people (unless they have low self-esteem and even then, it is not about humility but merely showing others what a hero they are because of their sufferings!)

Let people be and you will be able to have many friends (after all, when you lend them a listening ear to their tales, you are – being a friend).

Know this… Men will generally lie – to make themselves look better. Women on the other hand will generally lie – to make the other party feel better.

Once you recognize this fact, you will be able to get along with others with a proper perspective.

makingfriendconnection.com

Why You Must Never Complain, Criticize Nor Condemn

2011-01-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

The power of the tongue holds the key to life and death. You can give life to someone by saying nice things to them or you can ‘kill’ someone or their dreams by saying many negative or nasty things to them. If you want to make friends and keep them, you must master this skill today!

Here is a shocking truth. There is no such thing as constructive criticism. It is an oxymoron. (Something like calling a square round)

There is no way you can constructively criticize someone when the purpose of criticism is to tear someone down – and we all know how fragile human egos are.

Did you know that an average child hears the word “NO” 17 times for every YES that they hear? We are used to listening to our parents who tells us that, “No, you can’t have your ice cream” or “NO, you are not smart enough, stupid…”

It’s no a surprise why kids grow up without believing in themselves because their parents do not believe in them in the first place! They grow up in a negative environment where people complain, criticize and condemn all day!

When you complain about others, you attract a negative force field that attracts more negative emotions. When two people get together, this force field becomes stronger and very soon, even good things will turn into bad things because of the words we say.

Here is another golden rule about making friends and keeping them:

When talking to a friend about another friend who is absent, make sure you tell your friend things that the absent party will not feel uncomfortable about. Here are a few reasons why:

You generate the negative force field once again. And that’s not all, when you talk bad about someone, people become fault finding and their disposition doesn’t help in building up another person. When you talk bad about someone behind your back, the person whom you are talking too will wonder in their hearts, “Would YOU be talking bad about me as well when I’m not around?” It only builds distrust.

If the absent party finds out, you could be in deep trouble and that would even compromise your integrity if secrets are spilled. The worst thing that can happen is having your reputation destroyed. It also makes you feel self-righteous because there is a tendency for people to feel themselves taller when they take others down a peg or two.

Gossip distorts the things you say and eventually, you will be labeled as a culprit for something you didn’t do. If you are tempted to gossip about someone, ask yourself, how would YOU feel if you are on the receiving end?

So please be wise how you choose to use your words and you will have more friends at the end of the day.

makingfriendconnection.com

Why Handling Your Tongue With Care Is Important

2011-01-05T04:53:00.000-08:00

Did you know that words have the power to hurt as well as the power to heal? It a very striking fact! When you take a look at children who are physically abused, you tend to be more sympathetic because of the wounds on the flesh. Unfortunately, words have the same scarring effect as well. You may not notice the wounds because they don’t exist on the surface, but the searing pain remains in a child’s heart as verbal abuse is equally if not more deadly than physical abuse.

Wounds on the body may heal, but unkind words may cause permanent damage that will last a lifetime if we are not careful with what we say.

Even among adults, hurtful words are remembered and buried within a hurting heart and some individuals take those words all the way to the grave.

As a result, we must carefully examine the uses of the tongue. If you want to make friends and keep them in the long run, often you may have to control your tongue. Ironically, the most important things you must do when working with your tongue is to leave many unkind words unsaid. That is all you need to do at times.

You have a powerful tool in your hand. It is up to you how you want to use your tongue to edify others or take others down. Do you complain, criticize and condemn? Do you say things that do not edify people?

If you get into an argument with a friend, make sure you stick to the issue at hand and never resort to character assassination or name calling. Name calling actually sears a wound on a person’s soul and they will remember that with clarity even more so than any other thing. Please avoid name calling at ALL costs!

Here is a good way to use your tongue… you must learn to compliment people everyday. Practice saying 1 compliment to 5 different people everyday. It could be your spouse, your parent, your co-workers, your boss or even the cleaning lady in the company! Compliments are free and it offers a great healing power that many fail to utilize.

I’m very sure that you could use some compliments as well!

Words are like deeds – do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

makingfriendconnection.com

The Importance Of Trust And Integrity

2010-12-30T01:59:00.000-08:00

Friendship is such a fragile thing. As a matter of fact, if you take a good look at trust and integrity, it might take a lifetime to build it but only seconds to destroy it. It is even more fragile than a glass. Friendships are usually tied closely with it.

Having real trust and true integrity in friendship could mean a lot of things:

It could mean keeping your promises at all costs. It could mean sticking to your principles no matter what circumstances you are in. It could mean making a lot of sacrifices. It could also mean that you have to do what is right even if it could cost you!

Trust and integrity are one of the most important things you must have when making friends and keeping them in the long run.

Most people may tend to make assumption on you, for example:

“Andy? Yeah he’s a fine dude, really nice chap…”

“Hmm, Andy, quite a slacker actually… can’t rely on him to do anything”

“Andy is one tough dude. He is a good friend who would stick to his guns and do the right thing. And he will always be there for his friends”

Chances are, YOU are the Andy that people would sum up. Which of those comments would you like to fall under?

Having integrity is one key factor to living well with others because people like things to be predictable. They don’t like people to spring up bad surprises. If you are a person with a lot of integrity, they will always count on you. You are the ‘go to’ person where people will rely on.

Be careful, however. People are rather unforgiving especially where integrity is concerned.

If you arrive early for your appointments, make sure you are always early for ALL your appointments. People will criticize you even if you arrive late only on one occasion. If you don’t buy pirated DVDs, make sure you stick to it. Don’t be wishy-washy! Hey, even crooks have integrity and they want other crooks to respect them.

At the end of the day, the key is to be consistent irregardless of what your moral values are or your way of life. Don’t change your values all the time and lose your integrity because it only confuses people.

makingfriendconnection.com

Your Emotional Bank Accounts

2010-12-18T04:42:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered why life is nothing but a trading of favors or feelings? It is very true, that our lives operate like bank accounts and automatic teller machines.

Take for example: When you go to the bank, you make deposits into your bank account and you make withdrawals from your bank account. What if you keep on going to the bank daily to make withdrawals? Do you know what will happen? The Automatic Teller Machine will give you a rude retort implying that you have overdrawn!

The same applies to the people with deal with on a daily basis. You see, when someone does a favor for another, they are making an emotional deposit in the person’s heart.

On the other hand, when we act as though we are the king of the world, the only people around us who will put up with our horrendous attitude are probably the ones who are closest to you. If you continue to persist in your streak of folly, even their patience will run out.

That is tantamount to making emotional withdrawals from their hearts. People who are closest to us start with a larger bank account. After all, they have a starting balance to begin with (your mother or your father will have more tolerance for you because you are, after all, their baby boy/girl). We must be careful not to take those around us for granted. Continuous withdrawals will cause relationships to become estranged. It is like having a terrible sickness yet you just can’t die!

No doubt, a hungry man can live for a few days without food, but as the hunger demands from your empty shell, you will feel quite irritated yet you can’t make it go away (unless you ‘deposit’ some food)

We must never reach the point where all our emotional deposits run out. To put it in a metaphor, it would be a horrible thing because the ‘interest’ on overdrawn emotional bank accounts is quite expensive – in other words, it will be very, very difficult to mend a broken relationship.

Most emotionally bankrupt individuals harbor suicidal thoughts not because people refuse to love them. Their lack of love is only a symptom of a larger problem – that they did not give or deposit in the first place and therefore they won’t get any sympathy from anyone else.

It is up to you to keep on making deposits – like helping your friends, keeping in touch with them, and being there for them when they need you. Remember that making deposits might ‘cost’ you in the short run, but the ‘interest’ is worth far more in the long run.

Makingfriendconnection.com

How To Make Friends

2010-12-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

How To Make Friends on Howcast

Step 1: Join a group
Join a group that interests you. You could work on a political campaign, sign up for a class, do volunteer work, or become a member of a club like a hiking group

Step 2: Make the first move
Don’t be afraid to make the first move. Keep it simple, like inviting the person to grab a cup of coffee with you.

Tips: In the beginning, don’t call or email your new acquaintance more than he or she does you. You want to be a pal, not a pain.

Step 3: Be interested
Focus on being interested, rather than being interesting. Research shows that when people are allowed to talk mostly about themselves, they give high ratings to their conversation partner!

Step 4: Do a favor
Listen with an ear toward what you can do for the person you’d like to befriend. Doing someone a favor—without being asked—will fast-track the friendship.

Tips : Don’t be afraid to reach out to old friends who have faded from your life. Sometimes a renewed friendship is the most rewarding of all.

Step 5: Throw a party
Throw a party that includes all your friends, old and new, and encourage them to bring friends. As a wise man once said: make new friends, but keep the old—one is silver and the other’s gold.

makingfriendconnection.com

How To Get Along With Others By Handling Arguments Well

2010-12-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, when you get to know someone long enough, you tend to notice things about them that you don’t like. Sometimes you might get into arguments with people. If you really want to get to know someone well enough, you will inevitably run into disagreements with one another.

This article will teach you how to deal with them because handling arguments is part and parcel of life. If you don’t have arguments, you probably don’t have any close friends to begin with.

Of course, there is another group of people who argue for the sake of arguing and you don’t want to get into a fight with these people.

Here are the three reasons why people argue (or are argumentative in general)…

They are feeling frustrated and argumentative so they go around looking to pick a fight. They are people who are the fighters. They get a kick out of arguing with other people and it is pointless to argue with them in the first place!

The second group of argumentative people is the attention seekers. They lack attention and they feel that the only way they can get the attention they need is to argue with someone. You mustn’t argue with these people either because they will keep coming back for more or because it isn’t good for them (as they use these kinds of arguments to get attention.)

The last group is people who like to change things. They hate the way things are and they want to go all out and change the things around them so they argue until something happens!

The worst thing that can happen is getting sucked into these kind of arguments and trying to WIN them when the battle is already ‘lost’ from the beginning of it. General Abrams once quoted, “Never get in fights with pigs – you get all dirty and they enjoy it!”

So how do we handle these ‘pigs’? By avoiding the argument in the first place! This is one of the most effective ways to save a friendship.

Once again, it’s not about winning on an intellectual level. If you cannot touch the subconscious mind and insist on using ‘brute force’, you will only lose the battle, but other party is of the same opinion still!

Don’t try and prove the other party wrong. In fact, sometimes it is better to permit them to have their own opinion. As a matter of fact, once they cool down, they might even come up to you with an apology!

At the end of the day, try not to win the argument. Let THEM win the argument because winning it only results in you digging two graves.

http://makingfriendconnection.com

Aggressive, Passive and Assertive

2010-11-29T00:11:00.000-08:00

What is the secret to getting along with others? Have you ever wondered why different people seem to react differently when faced with a situation where they want something or when people want something from them.

There are three types of people in the world.

The first type is the aggressive type, the second is the passive type and the third type is the assertive type.

The aggressive type is the type of person who seldom reasons objectively with you. You either do things their way or you are getting in their way. This often leads to aggressive people throwing tantrums or using emotional blackmail to get what they want. Unlike assertive people, these guys act in a manner that is totally contrary to assertive behavior.

The passive type on the other hand might ask meekly for something. People might even take advantage on these passive types and they usually comply out of obligation… until they can take it no longer and erupt (and you don’t want to be around them when they erupt – they could be worse than the aggressive type!)

And finally there is the assertive type. Being assertive is getting what you want without acting like a brute or being passive about it.

One of the ways to increase our happiness factor in our lives is to get along with other people. And one of the unavoidable things we must face is to deal with aggressive and pushy people that will try and take advantage of you or to avoid BEING an aggressive and pushy person. So how do we get what we want?

In life, there is a very clear distinction between being aggressive and being assertive.

As you can see, the key to happiness in any relationship is not to act like a barbarian when you want something and neither is about acting like a doormat and let people take advantage of you (these types of people usually explode in the end and things will get ugly).

If you want to find the perfect balance, then being assertive is the way.

You don’t have to be an aggressive person because being assertive is more about being firm about what needs to be done and communicating in such a way that people would feel the reason behind it rather than being put off by the behavior.

If you want to get what you want out of a relationship or a friendship, it is pointless to throw a tantrum or resort to death threats and emotional blackmail. You need to tap into their subconscious mind before they are ready to comply.

http://makingfriendconnection.com

The Secret To Finding True Friends

2010-11-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

In life, true friendship often eludes us. We look around and wonder what the heck is wrong with all the superficial people around us. Sometimes, we feel as though we want to throw a punch through the masks they wear because we are so frustrated by the lack of true friendship in our lives!

In order to find true friendship, we must understand people. Firstly, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. It doesn’t matter if you are daddy’s little girl or if you are talking with your best friend or working things out with your spouse…

The fact of the matter is that human beings are inherently selfish! They won’t do anything without motivation. Most of the time, they are either motivated by fear of loss or for the benefits of gain.

Most of the time, the fear of loss or pain is what motivates people to take action (which explains why people only seek to patch up friendships and relationships when things are breaking apart instead of giving them due ‘maintenance’ like a car).

But if you were to factor in this fact into our personality, we usually have the tendency to feel that we are always right and everyone else is wrong.

I’m not talking about facts and figures (like who gets the highest score in Jeopardy); I’m referring to the moral values refracted through the lens of our eyes and our moral perceptions.

Many a times, people tend to see our faults clearly while we are all oblivious to our many idiosyncrasies and selfish behaviors.

There are some who would even go to the extreme and feel that the world would be a perfect place when the all the people around him would CHANGE THEIR STINKING ATTITUDE, and then the world would be a better place.

Alas, history has proven time and time again that an attempt to change the world around us would be futile unless we learn to change ourselves first.

There is a saying in the Bible that goes something like this: Why do you notice the speck in your brother’s eye, but you fail to see the PLANK that is in your OWN eye? Remove the plank in your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly (sometimes, the speck in your brother’s eye might not even exist at all!)

At the end of the day, if you find that you can’t stand all the people around you, then you should ask yourself this very important question… am I the one making life insufferable for them? Get right with yourself and the world around you and you will find that the problem is not with them… but with us!

http://makingfriendconnection.com

What is true happiness?

2010-10-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what true happiness is about? Have you ever stared straight into your mirror and realize that what you really crave for, the material riches you desire will give you true happiness in your heart?

Have the pursuit of wealth and fame consumed us? Have we idolized money so much that it completely blinds us from the most important things in our lives?

We must always examine ourselves. What does happiness mean to you? Is happiness about driving the latest Porsche? Is it about owning a huge bungalow home? Is it about having the most beautiful diamond ring in the world? Or is it about showing the rest of the world that you are rich and successful?

Now, if you’re thinking whether this is all about one those self-discovery, spiritual new age thing, well think again! This article is about the truth of true happiness.

Take a moment and think. If you are lying on your death bed, I can bet you that the last thing on your mind will not be about the size of your investment fund… it’s about the people around you and how you will be remembered!

In order to achieve true happiness, you must embark on a journey of realization. After all, the best education in the world is realization, wouldn’t you agree? (You don’t want to wait until a personal tragedy befalls you or your families before you realize that money isn’t everything!)

In life, we have witnessed time and time again that money cannot buy all the happiness in the world – especially when a person depends on money as a crutch, they will buy friendship, only to get a cheap imitation.

People long for the genuine goods. They wonder where all their friends are and why their life is in such a mess – all because they don’t know how to get a long with people or to keep their friends long enough to build long lasting relationships.

Make no mistake about it. The people around us, our friends and relatives are actually the most important people that we must keep close to our hearts (not money or fame). That’s why it is very important to make friends and do whatever it takes to keep them. Don’t become complacent just because you are much more successful compared to your beer drinking childhood friend. The memories you have with your friends are things that you must treasure.

So don’t take your friends for granted. If you have wronged people in the past, take effort to make amends and you will have an easy conscience and a better life in the future.

http://makingfriendconnection.com