In this lifetime we all need great friendships, do you know the signs of great friendships? Life is hard and to get through we really need quality friends we can rely and lean on. At Teamology we are always talking about great connections. Great communication leads to great connections. These great connections are your great friendships etc. If you had a great connection a wonderful friend would you know what it looks like?
Because I believe we were designed to be in relationship, and connections are necessary for us to survive and thrive in life. You know what you are looking out for I decided to share some characteristics of great connections.
You need friends who can let you be yourself, who except you warts and all, who you can share your vulnerabilities, who will give you grace when needed and who love you no matter what. Great connections are friends who will journey life with you no matter what the highway of life presents.
They don’t need to be people who have gone through exactly what you have, they just need to be authentic, open and accepting of who you are. When you have these friends you have great connections.
Today let’s look at 2 today and another 2 next post.
Grace. One definition of grace in friendship being “the experience of awe, gratitude and unconditional love when you are in harmony with others.” No one likes to feel condemned or judged.
We all make mistakes, it is part of being Human. This is why we need people in our life that will give us grace. People who do not judge, who will be for you no matter what, it’s important that you are able to be with friends who accept you, love you unconditionally and support you; no matter how miserably you think you are doing.
You also need friends who have the ability to listen to anything you say and not freak out. As you can imagine this takes a special friend when you have a friend like this you’re able to be more honest and open about what’s really going on for you this openness allows you to share in more successful solutions. It also allows you to openly share your burdens. A load shared is a load halved.
When you have friendships with people who give Grace you know you don’t have to have it altogether. The idea of perfectionism is gone you don’t have to put on a fake happy face, you can talk about your fears your failures and your worries. People with Grace will move closer to you and not be put off by you and your problems. In friendship this is a precious and priceless gift.
Identification. By this I mean how much you can relate to someone else. Sometimes when you’re going through tough times you can feel so different like you are losing your mind or living in a world that no one else understands. But when you find the right people you realise that others lives are just as crazy and I can be really helpful.
Sometimes friends will want to cheer you up and that’s okay. But before you get cheered up it’s important that you know the others identify with your difficulty, confusion or frustration. This knowledge alone will provide connection, encouragement and hope.
That’s why it’s important to get connected with people who live in your world and help you really experience that you aren’t on your own. You need to be around people who let you know that they also make mistakes struggle and make bad choices.
You know you have great connections when you can sit with someone, share your worst and they still love you at the end of the conversation. When you don’t feel judged, and if you’re able to you can share their struggles as well. It’s not about competition, where you voice your struggles and then they one-up you with theirs. It’s about being able to truly share your experiences, be accepted and be cherished for the unique person you are.
There’s something about being able to universally share chaos and craziness that can create a deep empathy and identification among people going through similar struggles. It’s so freeing when you can open up become vulnerable and be really heard by a true friend.
Until next time, Care, Connect and be a Courageous Communicator. Let’s change the world we live in one conversation at a time.
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