Lovers And Friends: 7 Reasons To Build A Friendship First
EXCLUSIVE ADVICE & OFFERS RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX (NEVER SPAM)
[social_warfare]
I think a big issue with relationships these days is that people (particularly men) separate the idea of a relationship from the idea of a friendship. That being said – I have my own thoughts and opinions on the concept of men and women being able to be ‘just friends’ with each other with no tension or desire for something more. But, that is a different conversation.
Whether or not men and women can be just friends should not separate the two concepts altogether. You don’t need to choose if you are going to be friends or lovers, you can (and should be), both.
Women have a far easier time deciding who they want to be just friends with and who they would pursue a romantic relationship with, but men tend to group all women together on the ‘potentially romantic’ side, and then just decide their order of desirability. For this reason, I also believe men try to actually avoid building a friendship with a woman because he doesn’t want to find himself plunging into the dreaded friend zone, and suddenly be seen more as a brother than a potential boyfriend.
But the issue this causes is that we are not building strong foundations for relationships. Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” This concept serves to teach us the importance of building a foundation for happiness that stretches beyond intimacy into friendship itself.
Friends see (and accept) all sides of each other.
When dating, we typically only want to show someone our best self. We are always well put together, well behaved, and well mannered. Of course, we should consistently try to be these things as often as humanly possible, but the fact of the matter is that we are all going to have bad days. We get stressed, we get sick, we face challenges. Life throws us curveballs – and expecting a shining exterior every second of every day is not only unrealistic, but it is also dishonest.
It doesn’t matter when you roll over in bed with no makeup on, a fever, and swollen eyes – a true friend will love and take care of you just the same. Someone who is just in it for the sex or as a fling, will not.
Friends have fun together no matter what.
You’re getting together with your best friend this weekend – oh no! What are you going to do? Where are you going to go to dinner? What movie are you going to see? How are you going to survive your 4-hour drive in the car together? These questions are never concerns when it comes to spending time with a friend, because it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you are together when you do it.
Friends are comfortable around each other.
Comfort is a tricky concept, because we cannot allow ourselves to get too comfortable in any relationship, no matter how long we are together. If this happens, eventually we transition over into complacency, and that is territory which is void of energy, romance, or excitement. We cannot fall into this trap, but there is also a good kind of comfort. The kind that comes with friendship.
The good kind of comfort is essential to being honest and open with each other. We need this to reveal secrets. Dreams. Desires. Fears and insecurities. We need this type of comfort to just be able to sit with each other in silence and not feel a nagging urge to say or do something to break the silence. This type of comfort only exists when a friendship is built, not when we spend our time trying to impress each other and not showing him or her who we really are.
Friends make great teammates.
Let’s say, for example, you are invited on to a game show and are required to choose a teammate, but you are not allowed to pick a family member. Where is the first place you turn? To your friends, of course. It’s not like you are going to choose a random person off the street – but what’s more is that your friends know how you think and you know how they think. You can work together and balance out each other’s strengths.
The reality of it is that this can be the case in much of life. You will be faced with problems and challenges that you need to figure out together. Even regular everyday tasks like piecing schedules together and figuring out who is going to pick the kids up from soccer practice which day, who will have dinner ready, and who will get the dog to the vet – become a giant puzzle that two people need to work together to solve.
Friends are always honest with you.
Let’s be real about this – someone who will always just smile and nod will never be honest with you when you need them to. They will never be able to give you constructive feedback or say anything that would hint you don’t have every aspect of life completely figured out.
Neither party wins in situations like this. You don’t win because if you wish to genuinely improve in an area of life and he or she always tells you everything is fine, you can never grow. Also, they never win because if everything is not really fine, then you will never learn what will make your partner happier and therefore never be able to work on it. Having this type of honesty is essential to a relationship – just always keep in mind friends are never degrading or discouraging, either. It’s about positive, constructive feedback.
Friendship lasts a lifetime.
Have you ever had a friend who you can go weeks, months, or even years without seeing – but when you do finally get together again it’s like nothing has changed? Imagine that kind of closeness, that kind of understanding, that kind of comfort, with someone who you are also in love with.
It goes without saying that you obviously won’t be going weeks, months, or years without seeing your significant other – but the understood, mutually felt longevity of your relationship provides you both with a secure, solid feeling that provides the comfort of knowing he or she is in it for the long haul.
A friend will stand by you no matter what.
When you are friends with someone, you are not only friends with them when things are great. You stand by them when they need you for support as they do for you in return. This is the type of unwavering love a relationship needs in order to thrive in the long term as well. Laying the bricks of friendship as a foundation is a great way to ensure this person will be there for you when the waters get rough.
You can have a friendship without a relationship, but you can’t have a relationship without a friendship.
_______________________________________
Want direct help from me to create the life you deserve?
I frequently coach busy professionals who want a more fulfilling love life.
If you are looking to work with an experienced relationship coach who has helped hundreds of busy professionals find the love life they deserve, Click here to book a call on my calendar.
Want My Best Strategies for Attracting and Keeping Mr. Right?
Grab my home study video course below:
Click here to learn the 5 keys to increasing your chances of finding Mr. Right.
Grab a copy of my best-selling book below:
23 Comments
Leave a Reply
POPULAR POSTS
LET'S CONNECT
Error: No feed found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.
EXCLUSIVE ADVICE & OFFERS RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX (NO SPAM)
Yes, yes, yes! I could not possibly agree more. Excellent post, as always. I’ve never understood why people separate romance & friendship. To me the former is not possible without the latter.
[…] love this article for what it says about the importance of friendship in romantic relationships, but it brought up a […]
[…] One of the things that I have learned is a prominent issue, is the male race’s avoidance of kindness for fear of being seen as “just a friend.” Particularly when I come right out and say you should develop a friendship with the woman you love. […]
[…] One of the things that I have learned is a prominent issue, is the male race’s avoidance of kindness for fear of being seen as “just a friend.” Particularly when I come right out and say you should develop a friendship with the woman you love. […]
I have a lady friend whom I am in a relationship with. It’s a friendship that is growing and growing. It has been a year now and we are very close. I know her more than her mother & sister know her. It is a complicated relationship, but we are both single, never married, no kids. I can see us never running out of things to talk about, just as easily as I can see us sitting on a bench and not talking, enjoying just being together.
[…] You can have a friendship without a relationship, but you can’t have a relationship without a friendship. […]
[…] remembered him as I read this article about lovers and friends. Who knows we might just be building a foundation for a deeper relationship? I don’t know. […]
[…] You can have a friendship without a relationship, but you can’t have a relationship without a friendship. […]
[…] You can have a friendship without a relationship, but you can’t have a relationship without a friendship. […]
[…] You can have a friendship without a relationship, but you can’t have a relationship without a friendship. […]
Dead wrong. This article is exactly the reason why such thing called “friendzone” exists. Remove this article at once.
I agree with the friendship concept. Americans are isolated beings and the rest of the world is way more socially literate than us! As somone who has lost a lot of family and friends, I rely on friendships most. This is the best way to test motives and find the true colors in people. America is all about what can I get first……..fail!
this article is true, people get partners or ger married for love, lust,etc but not for friendships, so when somebody feel angry or doestn feel love, the relationship is over, because the relationship was based just on a temporary feeling call love, so other temoporary feeling comes in and people separate, divorce etc, but if you build a relationship based on friendship, will be more fun, no dependent only on good days on love, people are moody, people will feel bad some days, but if there is a good friendship will be respect, patience, less jealousy. Only loser who stay on the dating level only for sex never will be able to build a healthy relationship, like marriage and are son frithened by the term friend zone, if you are one of those who wants some day ti have a wife is better to have a friend wife than an enemy wife
I strongly agree, I think that if more relationships that are to succeed you have to build a friendship foundation first, best friends are with you through good and bad times just like a marriage and friend are forever just like till death do us part.And with everything love is patient and one day I want to say that I married my best friend.
[…] Sometimes it seems as if an important things have never improved much. Rapid Solutions For https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ – An […]
[…] With a Latin Wife You Will Live Exotic Life It happens to be significant for you to use the online dating sites websites. Besides getting a enormous catalog from accessible females, most internet site operators destination their internet dating program some stride further more. Some of the affiliates will setup romance tours in the area of your liking in order to meet women you may have been conversing with. Subsequently when you experience arrange an account together online, require enough time to utilise their particular service properly. Setup your profile and study in the single members with the eligible women. Then strike up a conversation, through email, chat, or sometimes video recording meet with all the ladies the fact that buy your interest. Ideally you can find several women through these?nternet sites. Selecting Quick Plans For https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ […]
[…] Best of all, it may make us appear sexier, more confident and noticeable on the vision of others. It is the case that after you will wear women’s high heel sandals all the sofa lifting along with your once again arches. This is needless to say an incredibly complementing pose which makes girl appear sexier and a lot more pleasing for mating. When that gets us attention, most of us truly feel great (Please woman don’t deny the following! ) This enhance in overall look certainly is the one other factor people like footwear. The Facts On Swift Methods For https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ […]
[…] means. How the times have switched! Now a wonderful wonder is bronze and ripped. Real-World https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ Products – What’s […]
[…] reaches be a totally new ball game! Get ready for a string in home runs! Immediate Plans For https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ For […]
[…] Speedy Methods In https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ That communication needs to be a bank account balance from allowing him to win over you with who he […]
[…] The moment this occurs, many times your self within a membership area huge isn’t any 1 else but yourself. If you happen to make use of whatever single members, you can expect to recognize that they’re just outdated. Basically, you happen to be sitting inside digital ghost town. One way to steer clear of this from happening is solely by constantly doing your homework beforehand. Find out how long that this is actually online business for. Take a look at what other folks are saying that online site in several forums. Once you do become a member of, observe the times these pages. Standards For Root Factors In https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ […]
[…] In every single relationship to gain success, together partners should learn methods to have for get. It will never work when your are at all times the giver. Sooner or later 1 will obtain exhausted by always giving without receiving all sorts of things as a swap. Whether it is love, patience or realizing both should learn to agreement at all times. Choosing Straightforward Solutions For https://jamesmsama.com/2015/01/27/lovers-and-friends-7-reasons-to-build-a-friendship-first/ […]