The 3 Secrets To Successful Friendships

There's no set way to maintain a friendship. To say that there's some science to making things work may be a little far-fetched because we're all so different. It's a bit hard to say there's a scientific formula to making sure you and your best friend remain best friends. 

Different people handle and work on their relationships in their own way. They usually figure out what works and stick with that. 

While it's definitely clear that we all create and sustain our friendships in our own way, there are a few ideas that can only benefit your relationship. Every friendship is going to have ups and downs. You two may fight or disagree but at the end of it all you see the bigger picture; you make each other happy.

There are 3 things that I've found are really helpful in maintaining healthy friendships, all of which are really easy. Most of the time, a little bit goes a long way with a friend. Here are three simple secrets for remaining close and supporting one and other:

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1. You Can Agree To Disagree

Like I mentioned earlier, people are going to disagree sometimes. It does not matter how close you are, you are human and at one point or another, you're going to have a difference in opinion. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, it just goes to show how close two people can be and still have different views or ideas about the world.

What's important here is that you accept your friend's point of view. You should not challenge your friend's idea simply because you don't agree with it or don't understand it. In moments like this, pick your battles. 99% of the time little disputes that arise are things we can agree to disagree on, and then move forward.

You two may not necessarily see eye to eye on certain aspects but the fact that you can set those aside and enjoy each other's company speaks volumes.

2. You Hear Each Other Out

When conflict arises or when one or both of you is dealing with an internal struggle you are ready and willing to listen. You may not be speaking, but lending your ear during a rough time is one of the most powerful ways for you two to communicate. 

You listen to what your friend is feeling. If this is an issue between you two, you listen completely and let them say their piece. Only once they finish should you start to share your own feelings. It's important to let them be equally involved in dealing with the issue and expressing their opinion. 

If it's an issue outside of the friendship like the loss of a loved one or a genuine time of need, you can listen and give them a safe place to vent. After hearing them out, they may seek your advice or words of comfort, but make sure to let them get everything off their chest. 

 3. You Balance Give & Take

Any relationship is about balancing the act of give and take. No one wants to be the only person putting in all the effort, only to receive nothing back. It's important that you give as much as you both want to get out of this friendship.

For example, you cannot expect your friend to listen to your problems if you're never willing to listen to hers. Your friend cannot expect you to constantly do favors for them when they will hardly ever do one for you. This is not to say we should be spiteful, but it tends to be pretty obvious when someone is not giving as much as they could be or should be.

A successful friendship is one full of communication and a genuine eagerness to support and care for one another. While every dynamic is unique, these are three common practices that are important to be mindful of. Even the best of friends have their struggles and can sometimes lose sight of how they treat each other. The most important part of all of this, is that you can self-reflect and recognize that there needs to be change in behavior. If you can do this, it should be nothing but smooth sailing for you and your friends.