"Amigos Para Siempre" or “Friends for Life” is the theme song for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 sung by Sarah Brightman and Jose Carreras during the opening ceremony of the Olympics Games. Andrew Lloyd Webber composed this beautiful song,

Friends are not easy to come by. Genuine friends are even harder to find. Hence, making friends is not easy. Therefore, when we have friends we must put in effort to keep the friendship alive.

We can engage with people in various ways to attract and bring them closer to us. Smile is one of the easiest and most contagious methods. People like to see happy faces greeting them. When you smile, you transmit joy and happiness to them. It also symbolizes the gladness in you in meeting them.

Whenever we meet people, always address them with their name. Addressing someone by their name indicates our interest in establishing friendship with them. It shows we are taking interest in them and it will make them take note of our interest in return.

We need to relax whenever we are with someone. This will make them feel comfortable to be with us. Whenever someone is comfortable with one another, they will tend to get closer to each other. Friendship will blossom from here.

When we communicate with the other person, ask questions that will help them to open up and start talking. Nevertheless, do not ask questions that are too personal in nature. This will cause them to feel uncomfortable with our presence. Perhaps, they may even find excuses to walk away.

One of the crucial points in communication is listening. Be a good listener to the other person. Listen to what the other person has to say. Listen attentively. Respond appropriately. We do not need respond with words. Body language and appropriate gestures are good enough to show that we are listening.

It is always easy to make friends and maintain friendship if we have common interest. Try to find common grounds where you can share common interest like hobbies, etc. We can spend many meaningful hours or even days engaging with each other sharing knowledge and information on common interest. Whenever we spend meaningful time together, bonding will take place.

Whenever there are people who share their opinion, differences in opinion will surface. We need to learn how to respect the differences in opinion, as it is a positive sign that both people are prepared to share their ideas and thoughts. Explore the ideas that are put forward and perhaps, you can learn something new from it.

Always be generous with compliments. Give compliments when called for. Give it sincerely and people always appreciate positive feedback. Everyone needs feedback to improve and move forward in his or her life and career.

Generally, people like to join to social functions to meet fiends and associates. Make effort to keep in touch with them by inviting them to do be part of any social functions. The functions may not be parties. It can be any charity work, outdoor activities or even family outings.

Overall, we need to make effort to the flame of friendship burning as bright as ever and for as long as possible. Friendship is for life.

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Larry Houston is the owner of iScrapbook and Through My Eyes. You can find more information about him at iScrapbook