HOW TO GAIN FRIENDS

If you want long lasting friends, do activities you like doing yourself and be yourself.

• Be yourself :

This means accepting yourself. And if other people don't like you, it's OK. You can't force everybody.

• Be cool :

Don't get irritated easily when people tease you. Most of the time, they mean nothing by it. Learn to laugh at yourself. Everybody likes someone with a sense of humor.

• Learn to say the right thing at the right time :

No one wants to be with someone who complains all the time, or tries to give advice when it's not wanted. Learn when to speak and when to lend a ear. Sometimes it's all about timing.

• Be friendly :

It will not hurt to be the first one to say "Hi", even to someone you've just met. Soon, you may find your acquaintances turning into friends.

• Love yourself :

This means recognizing your assets and sharing talents with other people. You can't expect people to like you if you don't even like yourself.

• Learn to forgive :

If someone does you wrong, keep in mind that everybody makes mistakes. Forgive and forget. No one wants to be around someone who constantly makes them feel guilty. Be liberal with praise. As Mark Twain aptly remarks “I can live for two months on one good compliment”.

• Be true, honest and loyal :

CULTIVATE TRANSPARENCY. If you're the type who lies and makes stories, you'll eventually find yourself with out friends.

• Assign top priority to your relationships :

Howard Hughes was one of the richest men in the world, with the destinies of thousands of people – perhaps even of governments – at his disposal, yet he lived a sunless, joyless, half-lunatic life. This is because he was too busy manipulating the riches he had earned and failed to cherish the best property of all – friends.

Helen Keller once said, “With the death of every friend I love…a part of me has been buried…but their contribution to my being of happiness, strength and understanding remains to sustain me in an altered world.”