Caitlin, me, Nic (gay best friend), lewis, ally and polly
Originally uploaded on flickr

Take a look around at the people you have chosen to make a part of your life. Your circle of friends says a lot about who you are. When a new person comes into your life it is more likely to be random or through circumstance than specifically through making a conscious selection to have that person as a new ally: a new work colleague, a mutual friend or friend of your partner, someone who was once a perfect stranger from your daily commute or someone you kept bumping into at gigs; there are any number of situations that could see you meeting the wonderful people that could potentially make up your circle of friends.

Despite the circumstances surrounding how you have met your friends over the years, one thing is certain and that is that you have chosen whether or not to keep them as your friend. In making this choice and by now examining more closely the people you have kept around you, you are allowing yourself to learn a little more about the types of characteristics and personalities you see as being desirable & attractive.

Turn to a fresh page in your note book and jot down your friends names, beneath their name write a scrawling list of all the qualities you love about them. Use this as an exercise to identify what sort of personalities you are drawn to and most compatible with.

Some questions you could ask yourself, when brainstorming the virtues of your friends, could include:

• Do you choose people that are like minded?
  
  
• Do you choose those who inspire you?
  
  
• Do you choose people that are not like how you are outwardly but are like the way you see yourself in your mind?
  
  
• Are you friends with a melting pot of obscure & different personalities & are each of these representative of a different side of your own personality, do these groups mix?
  
  
• Who are your favourite people to be with? Why are they your favourite?
  
  
• What is the greatest thing about each friend?
  
  
• What is your favourite memory? What events & activities can you not wait to explore with them?
  
  
• Are your friends similar to you? Are they similar to each other?
  

Use this brainstorming exercise to not only identify the personalities you are drawn to but to also serve as a reminder of how just how special your friends are and use this reminder as a call to show a greater appreciation of the unique qualities they bring into your life.


What do you think your friends say about the type of person you are or want to be?