Unless you’re in high school, odds are you have a pretty good group of diverse friends. From catching a Saturday yoga class with your yogi guru to sipping margaritas at happy with your coworker, having an assortment of friends not only helps you in maintaining a balanced spirit, but it also keeps your life interesting.
And while hanging with a variety of peeps has some obvious benefits, surrounding yourself with friends that have similar goals and visions is just as beneficial. Here’s why:
At some point, you have to realize that your bar-scene friend, who constantly tells you to drop the business act and go out with them instead, isn’t really helping you reach your goals.
Getting a friend that has the same goals will not only create a better support system, but your friend will be able to motivate you in ways you didn’t know. Seeing them stay in and study for the LSAT that you both have coming up, rather than going out, will make you feel less bad about missing the party and encourage you to focus more.
While there are worse things than your really good friend not understanding your drive and career, having a friend who does, makes life so much better.
Say you have an art exhibit and you need help transporting your pieces and setting up your art. You know you could ask your BFF for help, but you also know they won’t be as careful with the work as much as an artist would. And they’d probably be asking a ton of questions on what goes where and what means what that’d it just create more work for you. Having a buddy that knows the art scene will be that much more careful and that much more helpful. They’ll also be able to give you beneficial input from a professional perspective
Sharing stories with all your types of friends is fun and interesting, but swapping information with someone who has the same visions is you is beneficial.
Not only will you be able to gather new and updated news in your field, but you will also be able to find something that you might have overlooked or missed. If you didn’t know gummy bears had gelatin in them and you’ve been trying to eat a vegan diet, your vegan friend will be sure to tell you, ultimately saving yourself from future embarrassment and shame.
Here’s the deal, we know that having friends with various backgrounds is extremely important and beneficial, but so is hanging around people who have the same goals as you. Not only will you be able to be more motivated and gain more knowledge, but keeping these connections can help you in your future career.
