Who in this world does not have a friend? Maybe a couple of people don’t, but not many. We usually form friendships with people who have similar likes and dislikes as we do. They may share the hobbies we enjoy, attend the same school we did, or love the same TV programme as we do. No friendship exists without some common cords to bind the relationship.

You may be familiar with this old cliché – “show me your friend and I will show you your character”. I have found this to be very true, because I clearly saw that most of the things my friends liked or disliked were the same things that I also liked or disliked.

As I grew up, I started envisioning the kind of person I wanted to be. One of the key actions that helped me towards my goals was to make friends with people who were living the kind of life I wanted for myself. This decision meant I had to sever friendship with some of my friends who did not share my vision for life. Shedding these friends happened naturally; the more time I spent with friends who shared my views on life, the less time I had for friends who did not, and as time went on, my friendship with these people gradually waned.

So, what do people say about your best friend’s character? Peer pressure is ever- present at every stage of our lives, and as social “animals”, we have an innate desire to be accepted by our friends. This acceptance is only achieved if we practice the shared beliefs and virtues of our circle of friends.

So look at your goals, analyse if your current crop of friends share such goals and aspirations. If they do not, make new friends with those that do. Never underestimate the power of friendship in shaping and defining your own life. Choose your friends wisely.

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