{"id":8422,"date":"2022-07-29T11:48:23","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T11:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/?p=8422"},"modified":"2022-07-29T11:53:49","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T11:53:49","slug":"international-day-of-friendship-how-to-forge-positive-friendships-wherever-you-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/international-day-of-friendship-how-to-forge-positive-friendships-wherever-you-go\/","title":{"rendered":"International Day of Friendship: How to Forge Positive Friendships Wherever You Go"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

It\u2019s kinda weird how we just meet a person and decide: \u201c<\/span>I like you, I\u2019m going to spend more time hanging out with you than any of these other people around here.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And then they\u2019re just our friend!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need us to tell you how valuable a good friend is, and we know there will be times when we head off into new parts of life where we\u2019ll need to be able to make new friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

At school, it seems so easy – we\u2019re all in the same boat, and we just have to figure out who\u2019s the best fit for us. As we get older and start apprenticeships or our first jobs, maybe heading to college or university, it all gets more complicated.<\/span><\/p>\n

On this International Day of Friendship, we\u2019re focusing on celebrating the lifelong friends who keep us sane and how we can keep cultivating positive relationships to find good friends wherever we go.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the International Day of Friendship?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Taking place on the 30th of July, the United Nations (UN) International Day of Friendship is an opportunity to celebrate a shared spirit of solidarity in one of the most simple yet wonderful forms of human relationships – friendship.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is no surprise that science has found that one of the most significant indicators of a happy, long life is the positive relationships and friendships we cultivate.<\/span><\/p>\n

The International Day of Friendship was <\/span>proclaimed<\/span><\/a> in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>UN<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThrough friendship \u2014 by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust \u2014 we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

4 Tips For Forging Positive Friendships in a New Place<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the early years of our lives, we go through some significant shifts – from moving schools to starting new jobs and figuring out who we are.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s natural to outgrow some friendships or feel like we need different friends to help us in different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wherever or however you find yourself in the position of needing a new friend or two, here are our five top tips to help:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Focus on the activities and hobbies you enjoy.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    A mistake people sometimes make is to focus on where people are to put themselves into activities they think will help them make friends. Instead, try to focus on the activities and hobbies you enjoy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you like hiking and walking, why not join a hiking group? If you enjoy running, a running group. Reading? A book club. Gaming? A board game meet-up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Use the activities you like to find groups of like-minded people in your area, and you\u2019ll put yourself in an excellent position to meet people who enjoy the same things as you.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Be curious and ask questions.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      When meeting new people, it\u2019s all about finding the balance in the conversation so that everyone feels like they have a chance to talk and share and get to know each other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Remember to stay curious about others and not just talk about yourself. Think about what you\u2019d enjoy being asked when a new friend is trying to get to know you, and use this to form questions you can ask others. Some of our favourites include:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • How long have you lived in the area, and what\u2019s your favourite part about living here?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Where\u2019s the best place you\u2019ve ever been on holiday?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • What was the best book you read\/movie you watched\/show you binged recently?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Pineapple on pizza; yes or no, and why?!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        • Don\u2019t be afraid to put yourself out there.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          It can be scary, but if you meet someone you think you clicked with and would like to get to know them more to develop a friendship, don\u2019t be afraid to put yourself out there.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Tell them you enjoyed meeting them and ask if they\u2019d like to grab a coffee sometime (or tea or ice cream).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          It\u2019s easy for people to assume that everyone has \u2018enough\u2019 friends, so it might not happen unless you let people know you\u2019re actively looking to develop some new friendships.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

            \n
          • It\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t click.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Not everyone we meet is going to BFF material. As we get older, we become more of who we want to be, which can sometimes mean we\u2019re less flexible or willing to spend time with others we don\u2019t think we have much in common with.<\/span><\/p>\n

            There is nothing wrong with you or another person if you don\u2019t click as friends – it\u2019s just one of those things. Stay polite, respectful and positive and focus on finding the right people for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

            The Explore Careers Friendship Challenge<\/span><\/h3>\n

            In recent times, the friendships in our lives have been nothing short of life-saving – and we know it hasn\u2019t always been easy to meet up in person and spend time together in the ways we\u2019d like.<\/span><\/p>\n

            That\u2019s why this International Friendship Day, we want to hear your best, funniest and happiest friendship stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Got a funny story about how you and your bestie met? Have a friend who helped you through a tough time? Or just want to showcase how awesome your friends are? We want to hear about it!<\/span><\/p>\n

            Share a post on social media and tag us. Use the hashtags #ExploreCareersFriendshipChallenge and #InternationalDayOfFriendship2022 so we can see \u2018em. We\u2019d love to share some of our favourites!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span> It\u2019s kinda weird how we just meet a person and decide: \u201cI like you, I\u2019m going to spend more time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":8424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[33],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8422"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8423,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8422\/revisions\/8423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}