It’s sometimes easier to meet a friend who is opposite from you than it is to maintain a friendship with them. That’s because friends who are opposite from us push our boundaries and make us think about things in a different way. And that’s a good thing! Here craigslistpersonalsalternative.com are share some reasons to be thankful for those “so opposite from you” friends.
They Introduce You to People Outside of Your Immediate Social Group
Let’s face it, we get stuck in a rut when it comes to our friends. We hang out with the same types of people, who are probably just like us in the way they look, vote, worship, and spend their free time. That makes sense since we’re more likely to befriend people we connect with, but some of the friendships that take the longest to build can be the most beneficial in our lives.
Spend the time getting to know a completely opposite friend and you’ll not only have a solid friendship you’ll be introduced to people you wouldn’t have otherwise met. This opens up your entire world and helps you make friends more quickly.
They Expand Your Horizons
You might have the same viewpoint and opinions your entire life until you meet a new friend who totally shows you a different perspective. Friends like this can open up your world in ways you wouldn’t have done on your own. They can help you grow as a person and this will ultimately make you more self-reflective and accepting of others.
You Learn the Art of Give and Take
It’s easy to get in the flow of friendship with someone just like you, but an opposite friend will challenge you and teach you a whole new perspective on what give and take really means. But this is a good thing. You’ll learn to give the floor to someone else, to try out new things just because someone else wants to do them, and to let the small stuff go.
You’ll also be given a new view of reciprocity. Sometimes two friends can get stuck in a rut with favors. One friend will drive here, then the other one will buy lunch, and the next time they’ll split the tab. But what if the exchange of favors isn’t so easily defined? This is when give and take becomes really important, when you can’t say if what you’re doing for someone else is equal to what they’re doing for you, but you value their friendship and do it because it makes you feel good.
You Learn More About Your Authentic Self
If you keep the same friends your entire life, you’ll probably stay in the same hobbies, enjoy the same types of restaurants and outings, read the same types of books, and the like. Some of your “likes” will be things you’ll do simply because you’ve always done them.
But what do you really want to do?
You might never ponder this question until you meet an opposite type of friend who makes you rethink things. You’ll step outside your life and look at it in a whole new way, and this will give you courage to try things and maybe even listen to that small voice inside you that has begged you to:
- Try painting
- Take up yoga
- Run a 5K
- Travel to the exotic location
- Become a mentor
- Change careers
The possibilities are limited only by your desire and imagination. The best part? Your friend will probably be the one to support you when everyone else is giving you their doubts.
You’ll Feel More Appreciated
Did you ever have someone thank you but it was done in such a way that really made an impact? Maybe it wasn’t the words they used, but how they said them. This is the type of impact a friend who is opposite from you can have.
Other friends may use the same lingo to say “thanks” or “I’m thinking of you,” over and over, and while it’s nice that they do that you’ve become too used to hearing it. So much so that it doesn’t really resonate with you anymore. You don’t feel supported and appreciated as much. But that new friend of yours will find a way to express their gratitude for your friendship that will stop you in your tracks and make you really believe it.