Lessons learned

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that good things start with self esteem. You need to have confidence in yourself – who you are and what your life is about. It will carry you though your challenges of your life whether it's a career or relationship crisis, or something else that's been handed to you through fate.

To gain confidence you first need to recognise yourself as an individual. It's about being your own best friend. Don't be so critical of yourself. It doesn't mean you have to be a braggart and say 'I'm the best' but rather "I'm working towards that goal".

A defeatist attitude can get sewn into your fabric early in life if you don't watch it. There are worldly achievements and there are achievements just for yourself, which may be about treating yourself better, getting a new set of friends, or getting a job that feels right. Fulfillment is what we're all looking for. I think it is a lifetime search and it changes as we get older.

It's difficult to allow things to happen, but it's important to be aware of making them happen. It's a fine line but a sense of self will always guide you.

What is friendship?

Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more people. The notion is specific to interpersonal relationships. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection. Friends will exhibit loyalty towards each other. Their tastes will usually be similar and may converge, and they will share enjoyable activities. They will also engage in mutually helping behavior, such as exchange of advice and the sharing of hardship. A friend is someone who may often demonstrate reciprocating and reflective behaviors. Yet for many, friendship is nothing more than the trust that someone or something will not harm them. Value that is found in friendships is often the result of a friend demonstrating on a consistent basis:
• the tendency to desire what is best for the other,
• sympathy and empathy,
• honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart
• mutual understanding.