Beyond Benefits: What Truly Defines a Friend?

We all make friends for different reasons, so there is a reason why we call a person a friend. There cannot be a friend without a reason, as in some way, we provide benefits to one another. The reason why I would call someone my friend is not just mainly for the benefit I would get from the person but from so many other areas.

The Importance of Having Friends...

Most of the friends I have at the moment contribute to my personal growth; we seek out ways to improve each other, and we have the attribute of wanting to grow, thus bringing us together. Aside from that, when I am in need of support in any aspect, my friends are the first people that come to mind, whether it is financially or emotionally. They are the ones I rant about my feelings to, and they give me advice on what to do.

Recently, I almost made the wrong decision in getting something, and I was not sure about the decision, but my friends highlighted some areas that I had not thought of or considered that could be a risk to what I was getting.

One benefit of having friends is that genuine friends link you to opportunities, they want your growth the same way you seek theirs. In business, they are the first set of people that would patronise your business and also seek out other customers for you. There are a vast number of advantages that making friends can contribute to one's life.

Who do I call My Friend?...

With the benefits involved in having friends, sometimes I prefer not to have many reasons why I don't make new friends very often. I am an easy-going person, very easy to talk to, and I play a lot, but I don't call everybody my friend. I try to find a name to give to classes of people that come into my life, but in general, I call them acquaintances, as that is what they are generally. We don't have any reason for being friends; they can just be my coursemate, church acquaintance, or even hostel mate. It doesn't generally make them my friends.

Making New Friends...

When it comes to making new friends, I easily make friends with guys rather than ladies. I don't know why, but a reason would be because guys are more approachable than ladies. Ladies, when you approach them or want to say hi, there first intention is that you want to woo them. Aside from that, generally, I am not the type of person who begins a conversation with someone I don't know, and sometimes it depends on my mood.

Keeping a Small Group of Friends...

Since I know a lot of people and have talked to many of them, I have many acquaintances. However, I only have a few people who I can truly call friends. If our conversation has not covered our personal growth or provided some form of accountability to each other, hanging out together, or sharing personal experiences with each other, then you are more of an acquaintance than a friend.