Cultivate Real Friends - Grasshopper

Friendship has taken on a much looser meaning in the digital age. Social media "friends" for the most part are acquaintances. That's not a bad thing unless you expect them to be there for you.

You may be there for many of them but the reverse is rarely the case.

 

If friendship is a not a two-way street, you wind up at a dead end. It's flattering to be a shoulder to cry on but if that's all they're calling you for, then they're all wet.

 

Regardless of how popular you are, the friends that you can count on can be counted on one hand.

 

This isn't a recommendation to befriend 90% of your Facebook friends; it's more of a suggestion to recognize real friendship and foster and fertilize that connection.

 

Real friends will listen without judging and not tell you what to do. They'll ask questions that head you into a direction where you'll find real answers for yourself.

 

A friend will aid in putting you in touch with your internal resources - where real answers live.

 

Like with any strong relationship, there is give and take. If you're taking more than you're giving, you're not a real friend.

 

Friendship isn't a quid pro quo. That's a forced marriage. It's a willing partnership where you naturally have each other's back.

 

You can make requests of real friends and they of you, and can expect that each of you will comply without hesitation in almost every case.

 

If you have that kind of friend, make sure you're also being a friend to them. All relationships need water and fertilizer or you'll only grow apart.

 

Have all the acquaintances that you desire but recognize and cultivate the ones who'll help you put out the fire.

 

All the best,

John