Coming into the New Year, we all desire to make life changes that would allow for us to improve our lives into the coming year. So I’ll be doing a brief series that will discuss the major keys that I think are vital transforming our lives into the new year.

Today’s topic is how to make relationships: friendships and beyond.

From a survey of the friendships in my life and the comments that I see on social media, many people going into the new year are dropping friends or people from their life that they see as unnecessary. However, In most cases this is a front for them not truly understanding that they have no friends or they are having many issues in their friendships that cause them to want to cut people off. The remedy to both of these situations are to make good friendships.

To do so, first, you must know yourself. The Bible says in Luke 6:31 that the most important rule in life is to “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” You can’t adequately have someone do to you if you don't know what you like. With this, learn what you like. If you don’t have a friend to do something with all the time, try some of activities on your own.

Second, I recommend you do simple things in your daily life that make you seem available to more friendships: smile, speak to everyone in the hallway, hold the door, be kind, be patient, and don’t be afraid to give a compliment. These simple things turn even the shyest person into a conversation starter. From the high school level to the adult life, these simple keys are gateway conversation starters.

Third, start simple conversations. Once you’ve held the door or smiled at someone a few times, you should actually say something. It can start as simple as “I like your clothes” or my favorite, “I like your makeup”. You can even just say “good morning”. If all else fails, you can always ask a question about the day or the weather. These may seem silly, but they do work.

Lastly, I recommend you go to events where it’s easier to meet people. If you are the clubbing type, you can go to a club or lounge. You can join a club at your school or an intramural sports team. There are also social groups that are live on Facebook based on your geographical area. All of these places are breeding grounds for friendships. If you just start a conversation, you can make a friend for life.

As it relates to relationships, most every relationship starts as a friendship. So if you can be a friend, your odds of being a significant other are fairly high.