When’s the last time you showed appreciation to your friends? Have you ever had a moment where you feel the need to tell them thank you? I’ve come to a realization over the past couple of weeks that it’s more important than you’d think to appreciate and be grateful for your friends. Why did I just come to realize this now? It’s not like I haven’t appreciated my friends in the past, but I’ve just reached one of those days where my mind wonders off to critically think about an unusually important topic.

Pixabay / ninosouza

One of the first words of advice that I remember from my first year at BCIT (last year) was that you should write or talk like you’re speaking to a best friend. It was a difficult concept to understand at first, because it’s not an easy thing to “picture” your best friend whenever you write or speak. Once you practice and understand that advice, it changes how you think moving forward.

How does this “advice” affect how you think? You’re probably wondering what I’m trying to get at now, and how this relates to the appreciation of your friends. It’s not an easy thing to explain, as it is more of a “mindset” rather than a physical action. You don’t need to change the way you interact with your friends, but you should understand the power of friendship.

My realization was that appreciating the friends you have in your life goes a long way. I’ve made a lot of new friends at BCIT, so my awareness on this topic is growing by the day. Just being around friends and having their presence on a daily basis has improved my overall experience at school.

Pixabay / Pexels

Continuing with my personal experience, I’ve also started to appreciate doing things with these friends outside of school. Are you more of a “do something on your own” person or do you always go or do activities with your friends? I noticed I was a bit of the first one for the last few years. It wasn’t that I didn’t like reaching out and doing things with friends, it was more just my own way of going about things that I wanted to do, when I wanted to do them.

Today, I’ve now re-acquired that feeling of joy that I got as a child when I hang out with friends. Whether it’s my new friends at BCIT or my long-time friends from back home, I appreciate each and every one of them for being a positive part of my life. Hopefully you feel the same, because it can have a positive impact on navigating a sometimes-tricky aspect of life.