What happens when a jewelry designer decides to grow up and switch gears

Most people want to be happy. Make others happy and they’ll want to be around us. Be upbeat and positive, and this happiness will rub off onto others.

People remember how we make them feel, so make them feel happy, and leave them with good memories.

If we don’t have something in common with our friends, is it worth keeping the friendship? I believe we need at least one thing in common with a friend, or we need to question whether we really are friends, and if it’s worth keeping the friendship.

Like any relationship, we need to put in the time to keep a friendship alive. We contact some friends often, some now and then, and others we don’t see for years, but we are still friends, and need to make time to nurture the friendship if we want it to continue.

Good communication is a cornerstone of happy friendships. We are often friends with people because we are on the same wavelength, and get along well together.

Some essentials of good communication are to think before we speak, and be sensitive to our friend’s feelings and situation. If you are unsure what to say, think of something to say and then imagine how you would feel if your friend said that to you. Would you feel angry? Sad? Happy? Be tactful, empathetic and kind.

Respect other people’s points-of-view, even if we disagree with them. We can’t expect to agree with everything everyone says, but we can respect different viewpoints.

Most people want to be happy. Make others happy and they’ll want to be around us. Be upbeat and positive, and this happiness will rub off onto others.

People remember how we make them feel, so make them feel happy, and leave them with good memories.

How we word criticism and how often we give it can make or break a friendship. Simple tweaks in how we word criticism can make a huge difference to how happy our friendships are. Be kind and tactful when wording criticism. Think constructive criticism, not destructive criticism.

A person I once knew told me this guideline she applied to her friendships: for half the time let the other person talk, discuss their problems and so on, and for half the time you talk…This helps prevent one person from dominating the conversation. If, however, one person likes being more talkative in a friendship and the other one likes being quieter, this idea might not be relevant.

If we don’t show an interest in our friends, they will probably notice. Be genuinely interested in their lives, hobbies, children…Everyone wants to feel their friends care about them, their loved ones, and what interests them.

Don’t gossip. If a friend tells us something in confidence, keep it to ourselves. Obviously, if they do something illegal, immoral, or a danger to themselves or others… we might have to break their confidence.