6 Pieces of Advice On Friendships

Don't force anything

Being in your 20s will naturally present lots of opportunities to meet people whether you are in college or have a full time job. That being said, don't try to rush into any relationship. You have time. And frankly, what is meant for you will come.

Be open

But you have to be open! I cannot stress this enough. I know this can feel tough for some - especially us introverts. You will thank yourself for it later in life. Making friends is the easiest in your late teens and twenties, so take advantage of it.

When you settle down with a partner, maybe decide to move in together, or get married and have dogs for children, making friends will be a hell of a lot harder. People aren't as inclined to make you their friend if you have all these responsibilities that maybe they don't.

When you're open minded, there are so many possible places you can meet a friend. And be open to everyone. There are some amazing people out there.

Not everyone will like you

Yeah... this one hurts. Especially when you learn this the hard way. It is OKAY that not everyone wants to be your friend. If everyone likes you, you probably people please and don't have boundaries in place. I will talk about this in a little bit. Be true to yourself and the right friends will come into your life.

Just be kind

This is self explanatory. It isn't cool to be mean to others. Mean girl vibes are NOT in - so 2016.

Be welcoming and kind to everyone you meet and it will take you far in life.

Be loyal

Try to be a good friend. If your friend is asking for help, be there for them. And when you say you're going to do something, follow through with your word. This may make YOU feel good about yourself. It's a win-win situation.

Have boundaries in place

Ahhh learning this the hard way is no fun. For YEARS I said yes to everyone and everything. Even when my gut was telling me I wanted to stay home and binge watch a series I still said yes to going out. What eventually happened was I didn't know what I actually wanted anymore. I followed other people's lead for so long that if someone asked me what I wanted to do I would have trouble answering. I was so used to other people making decisions for me.

I always said yes because I wanted people to like me.

This is actually the opposite of how you get people to like you. If you don't respect yourself, no one will. And when you don't stand up for what you want, even something so little, it shows a lack of self confidence. People sense this like a shark senses blood in the water.

When you always say yes, you are agreeable. People like to have you around if you're agreeable because it's like - you're their follower. It makes THEM feel good. And chances are these people don't actually like you for you.

Because you're not being true to yourself, how could they?

Don't be me. When your gut is telling you something, listen. If you don't want to do something, don't feel bad about saying no. In the same token, say yes when you want to do something. You know what is good for you if you just listen to your body.