If you had a choice between two deep, meaningful relationships and 15 superficial ones, which would you choose?
(I hope you find this to be a no brainer.)
We live in a time when amassing as many Facebook friends and Twitter followers as you can is celebrated, even if many of those people are friends of friends of friends whom you've never spoken to in your life.
Our time and energy are not limitless. We ought to reserve them for the few people who enrich our lives -- not for those who couldn't remember our names or where they met us if their lives depended on it.
I find that it's a good thing when your circle decreases in size, for it means that it's increasing in value because only the people who truly care remain.
Can you imagine how many relationships have gone down the tubes because people stretched themselves thin trying to accommodate countless acquaintances whom, in the end, weren't worth it?
When we stop and think about it, hardly any of those people would go to bat for us when it counts the most. The ones who would are a select group we can probably count with one hand.
Maybe it's your mom, your best friend, or a close colleague in whom you've confided for years.
Many people assume a wide range of friends makes for an optimal social life.
But the truth is that when you are having a crappy day and want someone to hear you out over drinks, you don't need a long list of contacts to sift through.
You can turn to one or two special individuals whose input you value -- people who "get" you, who've been there for you in tough times.
The more random people there are in your circle, the more white noise coming from those who may not have your best interests at heart.
If you find that some of the relationships in your life are superficial in nature, winnow them out so only the strong ones are left.
Invest time only in those people who enhance your life -- even if that's just one or two people. Undoubtedly, quality is a far better predictor of happiness in our lives than quantity.
(I hope you find this to be a no brainer.)
We live in a time when amassing as many Facebook friends and Twitter followers as you can is celebrated, even if many of those people are friends of friends of friends whom you've never spoken to in your life.
Our time and energy are not limitless. We ought to reserve them for the few people who enrich our lives -- not for those who couldn't remember our names or where they met us if their lives depended on it.
I find that it's a good thing when your circle decreases in size, for it means that it's increasing in value because only the people who truly care remain.
Can you imagine how many relationships have gone down the tubes because people stretched themselves thin trying to accommodate countless acquaintances whom, in the end, weren't worth it?
When we stop and think about it, hardly any of those people would go to bat for us when it counts the most. The ones who would are a select group we can probably count with one hand.
Maybe it's your mom, your best friend, or a close colleague in whom you've confided for years.
Many people assume a wide range of friends makes for an optimal social life.
But the truth is that when you are having a crappy day and want someone to hear you out over drinks, you don't need a long list of contacts to sift through.
You can turn to one or two special individuals whose input you value -- people who "get" you, who've been there for you in tough times.
The more random people there are in your circle, the more white noise coming from those who may not have your best interests at heart.
If you find that some of the relationships in your life are superficial in nature, winnow them out so only the strong ones are left.
Invest time only in those people who enhance your life -- even if that's just one or two people. Undoubtedly, quality is a far better predictor of happiness in our lives than quantity.
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