How To Create Healthy Friendships And Meet New People

Healthy friendships are so important to have. They affect our business lives, relationships, future, and more!

Choose friends that share your values, trust them and talk openly about issues.

When you get better at developing friendships, you will also get better at connecting with business prospects, so it's a worthwhile activity to learn how to create friendships as someone who is also building a business (as most of my entrepreneur readers are).

The importance of healthy friendships cannot be understated when looking at mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, which are often caused by difficult people in our lives who upset us without meaning too, or those who may even bully us into submission.

However, there is also the question of how people go about finding good friends in the first place.

It's said that people aren't looking for friends, they are just looking for two things; someone to talk to or hang out with, and somebody like them.

Striking up a conversation can sometimes get the ball rolling, but what if you don't want to engage in a deep discussion straight away?  What happens if you get stuck in the 'small talk' rut?

It's good to start with a topic that you can identify with.

What are your interests, for example, what do you like to do in your spare time?   You might want to ask them about their tastes too and see if they like anything similar.

You might want to suggest meeting up at a place that you can both enjoy such as a movie, festival, or sporting event.

If there's no obvious connection there, you could bring up something relevant but in an amusing way.

Next up, you might want to broach a bit of controversy.

You don't have to be controversial yourself, but you can talk about topics that are. Try not to offend anyone though and reserve your opinion for when you're with those who share your views. This will help you to bond with people that are like-minded, as well as offering a safety net should the topic become heated or uncomfortable.

This is all good and well but how do you actually make friends once you've met someone who fits your bill?

To begin with, it's important to keep an open mind and not be in such a rush to make friends that you don't value the person for who they are.

If nothing else, becoming their friend means that you'll have somebody to hang out with on occasion and it's important to be able to do things alone sometimes.

You could even suggest activities together or go places because you want to be able to do them with company, not because you want a friend at all costs.

If they are receptive to the idea of hanging out then that's good! Just make sure that you keep in contact with them so that it doesn't fade off into nothingness.

Remember though, if someone is overly persistent or complains about you not being their friend then it's probably best to move on. It will only end in hurt feelings all round, especially if they're genuinely not your type of person.

Ideally, you'll become friends with people that you like and who like you (perhaps even love a little bit!).

They should be able to take pride in knowing that you like them but are not dependent on your friendship.

They shouldn't need to have you there to be happy or feel loved. So long as they're the right people then that's what matters and it should develop naturally through spending time together.

As you learn to show yourself friendly and create healthy friendships, you'll get better over time and find that you have people who you can grow with through life.

These people will raise you up with times get tough and be there for you through thick and thin.

That's the sign of a healthy friendship.

Eliminate Distractions and Get More Done In Your Business

When I first started building my business, working from home, I was constantly getting distracted by everything going on in my life.

It was difficult for me to stay focused on all the things I had to do. I would get discouraged because of this. Instead, I made a decision: I will no longer allow distractions to decide my business success for me, and I will take complete control over my business life - every single day.

You see, the key to business success is identifying and eliminating the distractions that are blocking you from building your business.

Recognizing and combating the distractions stopping you from growing your business is a critical part of the process, which can't be overlooked.

It's completely impossible to run a profitable business unless these barriers are overcome, and you make that decision as I did for myself.

If the distractions are something that you have control over - like making excuses or just being lazy - you will need to create a plan to overcome them.

It might seem difficult at first, but by using the following strategies, you can eliminate the disturbances that are causing you to fail and achieve success in your business:

1.) Take a moment to reflect on how you are spending your time, and then adjust your schedule as necessary. If there's something that isn't directly related to running your business, like surfing social media or watching television, cut it out of your day immediately.

2.) If you're struggling with getting things done in a way that will help you reach your goals, find a time management strategy that works for you and stick with it.

3.) Set clear, communicated boundaries with others. You get to decide what you're going to do every hour of the day, not other people. You have to stick to your "no, I can't do that" without feeling guilty.

4.) If changing your behavior isn't enough, try adjusting your environment as well. Maybe take some work on the go or change up where you're getting specific tasks done so that there's no chance of being distracted by something else.

You must find ways to overcome them so that you can focus all of your energy on growing your company and achieving success!

Success is not the outcome of random chance; it's the result of clear vision, commitment, and persistence.

If you follow the path - and stay consistent, I know that you can succeed as well!

Schedule a free 45-minute call with me on my website, and let's talk about building your business to make it profitable together: jeremiahkrakowski.com/freecall

Change Your Life By Changing The Voices You Listen To

The voices that we listen to have the most significant impact on our lives. They influence the way we think!

We must pay attention to who we are letting speak into our lives - because it has an impact on what our life becomes!

The hardest part is identifying which people or sources are helpful to you and which aren't.

So today, I want to share ways to change our lives by changing the voices we listen to.

Why is it essential to change the voices that you let speak into your life? 

Because the way you think about your life and the goals - that are exciting to you are often highly influenced by these voices.

So if we're not listening to voices that encourage us, inspire us, support our vision and goal... We won't have a clear plan for making our lives different or better or even just feel better.

If those are negative naysayers when you hear them speak, it puts a specific limit on what's possible for your future, and it affects the way we feel as well.

You have to choose to surround yourself and listen to voices that will carry you further towards your goals instead of hinder you from reaching your goals.

What is the role of this voice in your life?

Ask yourself this question: Why am I listening to this person?

We're bombarded with messages from friends, family members, and even our thoughts about who we are.

This is why understanding the role of voice in your life is essential - especially when it comes to picking new people that speak into your life (this even includes voices from news media, podcasts, social media).

Is this supporting your goals - or pulling you away from them?

How do you know if these voices are good for you or not?

If your goal is to become a writer, surround yourself with people who talk about books they're reading or ask how the last book was going.

If your goal is athletic, surround yourself with people who ask you about your workouts or share their tips and tricks.

If you want to become a successful entreprenuer, surround yourself with other business owners and listen to uplifting, empowering, encouraging voices from other business owners who are walking the same path as you!

Figure out what kind of friends or voices you need in order to achieve your goals.

Then, be intentional to take note of the people who are good for you and spend time with them, listen to their voice, or read what they write if it's helpful for your goals.

The importance of listening to positive voices and avoiding negative ones or toxic relationships that don't serve you anymore.

The way we speak into our lives plays a role in what happens to us. So we need to take control over the voices that speak into our lives and identify which ones are negative or toxic so that we can spend less time with them.

If you listen to a person who's constantly complaining about something, then you'll start complaining or feel like everything is going wrong. So listen to people who focus energy on the solution, not the problem or how negative they are.

Why it's vital to change whom you spend time with and listen to regularly.

What if you're around other people who are harmful or toxic?

The most straightforward answer is to cut ties with them.

If those voices don't serve your goals (especially when it comes to your thoughts about yourself), get them out of your life as soon as possible! At the very least, limit the amount of exposure to them to have better control over your thinking about yourself (for example, limit time watching TV shows that are too negative or political).

When should we cut ties with toxic people and relationships that don't serve our goals anymore? 

You have to decide what you will tolerate from other people - there's always going to be someone who doesn't like you or disagrees with you, but at the end of the day, if they are constantly criticizing and nothing positive comes out of that person in your life - it may be time to cut ties.

Is it possible or desirable to completely cut ties with harmful or toxic people?

It depends on the person, but you have to identify who is supportive and constructive in your life and spend more time around those types of people.

Tips for finding new, more helpful people to be around and changing what we listen to regularly. 

Here are five tips for finding new people to be around who will help you achieve your goals AND changing the noise that we listen to regularly (from news media, podcasts, social media).

1. Identify what types of people and voices you need in your life - The first step is realizing that there are certain voices you need in your life who will be there for you when times get tough.

2. Give up toxic relationships - Figure out which relationships aren't serving your goals and stop wasting time on those people or listening to their voices (from news media, podcasts, social media).

3. Get into a different environment - Spend more time with other people who will encourage and push you towards achieving your goals.

4. Create a new voice for yourself - Read lots of books by authors or experts similar to the type of person you want to become, listen to podcasts on subjects that interest you, take classes related to your interests, etc.

5. Get rid of negative influences - Don't watch TV news media or read the newspaper regularly if it's usually just filled with stories that aren't helpful towards achieving your goals.

Change your life by changing the voices that you listen to.

One way to do that is to spend more time around people who encourage you and help you achieve your goals. Reading books by authors/experts on the topics you're interested in will also provide positive voices for you.

What are other ways that you can change my life by changing the voices you listen to?

Let me know on my social media.

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