The 11 types of friends everyone needs to have in their life
They say that people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. And it seems to be true when you look at the different types of friendships we all need in our lives.
After all, we can’t expect one best pal to be our everything. That’s too much for one person. And this is why, when you look at the outline below, we tend to have friends to meet our different needs.
1. A reason
This means someone who comes into your life with a specific purpose, to teach you a lesson or give you a hand when you need it most.
- Boundary-pushing friend – Perhaps you had a friend that you used to get up to mischief with. You might have stayed out late partying, and you soon realised that this life wasn’t for you. Even though you’re not in touch anymore, this person taught you about getting out of your comfort zone.
- Eye-opening friend – Someone who introduced you to a new interest of hobby, like surfing, music or cooking. You might not be close but you were meant to meet this person, as they’ve shaped you into the person you are today.
- Uplifting friend – We all have a friend that just loves to have fun. Someone that makes us laugh so hard it hurts, and is always up for a giggle. This friend is social and sometimes drags you out of your funk when they know you need a lift.
- Wise friend – Even when we are all grown up, it’s nice to have someone older and wiser as a close friend. They’ve been there, done that, and have lived to tell the tale. This person can be great for advice on your marriage or kids, or for where to find the best winery on your next weekend away.
2. A season
These are the people that may or may not still be in our life, but they have been with us for a specific part of the journey and have taught us some valuable lessons.
- First love – Your first love is the person that helped you open up and see the value in a committed relationship. Even though they weren’t ‘the one’ they taught you that love is possible and beautiful.
- Work friend – Even if you’re no longer working, you probably still have a work pal that you’re close to. If we’re lucky, our career will put us in touch with some other like-minded people that we click with. Having the shared experience of working together means you have forged a bond, and some pretty great private jokes.
- Travel friend – If you’ve done any travelling, most likely there was someone that you went with or met there that you connected with. Having this shared experience means that you are forever tied together, as you’ve seen things that others haven’t. It’s fun to talk with this friend and plan for a getaway to relive the good times.
- Nearby friend – There’s a lot to be said for being geographically connected with someone. Whether it’s a neighbour or just someone who lives very close to you, this is the person you call when you want to do something right now. You might need a coffee and a chat, or you may want to borrow a tin of tomatoes to finish off your Bolognese. Either way, they’re on hand because they are local.
- Shared experience friend – Perhaps it’s someone that you connected with when your kids were born or started school, another parent that you clicked with and kept in touch with.
A lifetime
This one doesn’t need much of an explanation.
- Knows you better than anyone friend – Having someone in your life like a childhood friend that has known us since school is such a valuable friendship. This person has seen us grow into the person we are today, and you share so much shared history. Other people may come and go, but this friend always has your back and knows you better than anyone.
- Grow together friend – Perhaps it’s your partner, someone that you met either recently or years ago. You’ve seen each other evolve as a couple and as individuals. You’ve known each other through kids, illness, and family crisis and have come out the other side even stronger together.
Have a think about the friends in your life and see if you can sort them into the reason/season/lifetime categories. How many lifetime friends have you got? We would love to hear from you in the comments.