Friendships die because of assumptions

We make a lot of friends. But most of them fizzle out during the course of time. This happens because of several reasons.

• Unsaid words – There is a build up of opinions about the other person over time. We keep it to ourselves to a point where we stop hanging out. The other person would try their best to connect and will eventually give up.
• Life happens – We go on our own paths, fighting our own battles, we forget to get in touch with those who are close to us. At one point, everybody gets busy, and we end up being alone.
• Reason unknown – Sometimes, your friend stops speaking to you all of a sudden. No warnings. No conversations. No fights either. They stop hanging out just like that. I’ve lost a lot of friends that way. Until now, I don’t know the reason they stopped hanging out.

But despite all this, some hold on. They pursue, annoy, follow-up, fight and force their way into our lives and make it better. Because they know us better. They know we need their company, even if we think we don’t. They love the parts we hate in ourselves.

The two biggest mistakes we make when it comes to friendship are 1) we assume friendships are easy and 2) We assume things about the other person instead of talking to them.

So, we don’t try enough to hold on to our friends. We think we can make new friends. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Good friends are hard to come by.

Celebrate the friends who stood/stand by you at all times. Have a problem with your friend? Didn’t like them for something? Say it. Don’t walk away. Instead, give them a chance to make things right. Giving and receiving genuine feedback makes you both a better person and a better friend.

And, take a minute to appreciate them for being in your life. Say it. Out loud! Because they deserve to know.