We often hear the words “no man is an island”. It expresses the idea that human beings do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community to thrive. No one is self-sufficient, everyone relies on others, which is the more reason why you have to be intentional about building great friendships.
Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times. Friendships have a huge impact on your mental health and happiness. Good Friends relieve stress, provide comfort and prevent loneliness and isolation.
Truth is, we all need friends to blossom in life, and below are some tips on how to win friends.
Do Not Criticise/Condemn Or Complain:
You have to understand that there is no perfect individual on the surface of the earth, so you need not be caught up in the act of always criticizing unjustly and condemning people. If you want to criticize, make it constructive and not the one to deliberately spite people. According to Dale Carnegie, he writes, “Any fool can criticize, condemn or complain and most fools do”.
When you throw negative energy at another human being, you are hurting him or her, and no one will want to be associated with someone with such character. Rather have self-control, don’t say uncouth words, and be forgiving, this discipline will pay major dividends in your relationship with people.
Acknowledge Your Mistakes
Learn to take responsibility for your actions, quit looking for ways to always justify your acts whenever you are wrong. Whenever you know you have made a mistake, be humble enough to admit it. Having strong, stable, personal and professional relationships relies on you taking responsibility for your actions.
Accepting your mistakes is a very ideal way to win friends because nothing helps end a tension or disagreement their ent than an acknowledgment or apology on your part.
Make People Feel Important
There are countless ways to make people feel important, such as; praise, taking them on a date, checking up on them, encouraging them during their low moments, smile, etc. These acts make people feel good around you.
We all want to feel appreciated because it elicits the idea that our existence matters to someone else.
Be Genuinely Interested In Others
To be genuinely interested in other people, you must be intentional about finding out their interests, passion, names, etc, this, in turn, can make them pick interest in you. According to Carnegie, he writes, “you make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you”. When you are genuinely interested in others, they know and appreciate it.
Be A Charmer
Charm is a subtle but irresistible commodity. With charm, you can create good situations around yourself. People always want to be around someone they enjoy their presence. You can be a Charmer by saying less and listening more, showing vulnerability, giving compliments, making eye contact, using positive observations as ice breakers, etc.
Become someone people want to talk to because it will enrich your life and open so many doors that you ever thought possible.
Don’t Always Attempt To “Win” An Argument
According to Carnegie, he writes, “the best way to win an argument is to avoid it”. Arguments never help people to solve a problem or reach a compromise, rather it implicates tension, which often causes misunderstanding between the parties involved and often ends up turning minute things into great problems. To be able to win friends, you have to avoid arguments, rather work towards a compromise.
