Benefits of Having Good Friends

No matter how independent you may look like, it is almost impossible for you to attain outstanding success without the input of others. Just like in a football match, no matter how talented a player is, he cannot form a team of himself, he has to be paired with other players to achieve that. Same way, in life, you have to realise that you are not and will never be an island. That is, your success will be a subset of people's input. This is why human capital and human involvement is among the greatest levels of investment.

I once read a story about four loyal friends that began as childhood friends. As they grew up, the bonds became stronger and each of them looked out for the others and vise versa. A point came when they were grown and they all moved to different cities but the bond was still there. They constantly related with themselves via proxy and by physical means too. One day, one of the friends suffered a huge financial challenge that he had to even move out of his house to squat with someone else.

When the other friends heard about the predicament of one of their friends, they discussed within themselves to do something about it without telling him. The 3 other friends raised a contribution within themselves and built him a bungalow and during his birthday, they handed the keys over to him. You can imagine the tears of joy rolling down his cheek. You see, when he was in his lowest point, his friends came through for him.

You will agree with me that there are things that, if not for the input of friends, you would not have gotten them. When everyone else sees a smiley face, a true friend can see any hidden concern behind it. A true friend is someone that will be able to have your back and stand up for you even when everyone has decided to take their leave or have bowed out. You may not have been given the opportunity to choose your biological family but a good friendship is another kind of family that you can choose. Many people have been helped beyond measures by their friends. This is why, instead of investing just in materials things, you need to also invest in good friendship because they may be the one to come through for you tomorrow.

However, one thing to understand is that good friendship come at a price. You have to first prove that you are willing to be a good friend for others to have you as friend. What makes friendship worthwhile is when everyone is participating in the friendship. That is, you benefit from everyone else and everyone also benefits from you. If you keep friends that you will benefit only from, then it is not a good friendship but parasitism, and if they notice, they will take their leave. Before you expect something from a friendship, first ask yourself what others have benefited from you and what you have brought to the table.

When your friends need you, do you show your support to them or do you turn your face aside? Trust me, they will know what your intentions are, and when it gets to your turn, they too will not be available for you. If you do not stand up for your friends when they need you the most, also do not expect them to stand up for you in your desperate times. It is when you will take a mile for someone that they will go all out for you. Remember, you need to be friendly for you you to get a good friend.

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