“Tell me with whom you associate, and I will tell you who you are.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Your friends affect how you feel, what you think, and who you become as a person. As adults we rarely focus upon making new friends or consider evaluating the effect that our current friends may be having on us.
Why Make New Friends as an Adult?
Our adult relationships are limited to our family, colleagues, old friends, or the people that we meet daily, such as our neighbors and the market clerk.
Have you ever thought how these people make you feel?
Are you excitingly happy when you’re with them, motivated, energized, or do you feel as if your soul is trapped in a suffocating cave?
For most people, the answer would be neutral or the latter one.
In any case, choosing your friends intentionally is a missed opportunity for most because the closest relationships in our lives are chosen for us by our school system, workplace, college, etc.
While there’s nothing wrong with that, finding and choosing the right people to befriend in your life can have an immense impact on the quality of your life.
For instance, according to research conducted by Harvard University and the University of California, having obese friends can significantly increase your chances of gaining weight. Similarly, if your friend remains angry, stressed, or depressed for most part of the day, these feelings will likely start evolving within you as well.
How to choose a friend that makes you feel like the best version of yourself?
Whenever you meet new people, analyze their qualities and how you feel around them. Seek out people who share the same interests as you. If you love exploring new places, find a group of hikers. If you’re aiming to start a business of your own, find entrepreneurs and surround yourself with open minded, free thinking, masterminds.