Last Updated on July 17, 2023

I have had a lot of unique and horrible friends in my life. I have been lied to about small things that hurt and big things. I have been taken advantage of financially and emotionally; however, life is more enjoyable, fun, and entertaining with friends. How do you make friends and keep them?

First, when you make new friends, pick friends that you like, although it’s easier said than done. But you must know as an adult how to make friends and have meaningful connections with people. The easiest way to make friends is to find people with whom you have something in common. For example, If you are at the gym, approach someone and find some topics about the gym to talk about. Nothing too personal keep it light and casual. As the conversation progresses, you will begin to see if you would consider that person to be a possible friend, then invite them for coffee.

Friendships have to be mutually beneficial. I had a friend back in the day who wanted me to drive every time we went out. After a while, I found out he did this with all his friends. He wasn’t looking for friendships. He was looking for a free ride. Some people aren’t in the stage of their life where they are looking for genuine friendships. They are in what people call survival mode, and that is fine. It’s just different from the person you want to associate yourself with.

The best way to keep a friend is to have a true friendship initially. I heard it said that how a company starts is how it ends. Meaning your intentions and feelings going into a friendship is how it will end, except you will receive the opposite of what you intended. So if your intention, in the beginning, is to use that person, in the end, you will be the one that is used.
A good friendship doesn’t have to be fifty-fifty. It can be ninety-ten as long as you get something out of it. Most importantly, having a good time with lots of laughter and fun memories would be best. There are going to be some rough patches. No friendship is perfect, but it has to benefit both of you.

The best way to measure a friendship is to see how you feel at the end of the day after they or you or they leave the house. Do you feel uplifted? Do you feel like your energy got drained or not? And most importantly of all, did you have a good time? Have fun, and make some friends!