To become successful in your life, you need an extensive support network. Your immediate family, such as your spouse and children, greatly impacts your life. However, friends also play a significant role in your well-being. Your siblings and parents can also contribute even when you’re an adult who no longer relies on them. Your friends and families possess certain qualities that are great for your career. But they can also do things that can hurt your ambitions.
Friendship green flags that can help you succeed
A green friendship means having friends who help you grow and keep you happy. Friendships are vital at any age. However, they’re especially important as you age because they are a constant through life’s changes. But when it comes to your career success, certain friendship green flags make it easier for you as you work towards your goals.
1. Dependability
Friends you can rely on are your greatest treasures. They’re reliable and can always be called when you need them. If you have a hard day at work, you can call your friend and they’ll make you feel better. Where possible, they’ll meet with you to help you through a hard time. You can also depend on them to be honest about your vision. When you’re not focusing on your dreams or going in the wrong direction, they’ll let you know with love rather than scolding you.
2. Attentiveness
A green flag friend checks on you without prompting. They pay attention to what you’re doing and validate how you feel and what you’re working towards. They care about the outcome of your actions. Even if they don’t understand the industry you’re involved in, they remain your cheerleader.
3. Encouragement
Green flag friends gas you up especially when you think you’re failing. When they see you feeling defeatist, they remind you what you’re working towards. They become your source of optimism and motivation. Why You Are Losing Your Motivation And What You Can Do To Regain It
4. Help
Friends try to help you however they can. They send you money when they can without making extreme sacrifices on their end. In addition, they help you with connections and networking if they can. For example, if you’re launching a product, they help spread the word about it. Before your business takes off, they can help establish the shop. Their kindness is reliable and you know you can call them whenever you need assistance.
5. Open communication
If you overstep boundaries, a green flag friend will let you know what you did wrong. They let you apologize and also communicate clearly without making you wonder about the fate of your friendship. They don’t employ tactics like silent treatment or manipulative tendencies where they tell you they’ll only forgive you if you do something that crosses your boundaries. They prioritise their health and your bond in a way that doesn’t leave worried or riddled with self-doubt. And you can be sure that they’re always honest and do not misguide you whenever they advise you. Communication Etiquette In Your Friendship Circles To Enhance Trust And Respect
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Friendship yellow flags that can affect your career success
Yellow or amber flags aren’t deal breakers but they can be annoying. They’re a sign that you need to stop and evaluate the situation and decide if you want to step away or address it.
1. Lack of passion
A friend who isn’t ambitious may not understand the work you need to put into your goals. If they live and let live, it’s a non-issue. However, if they lack empathy, they may villainise you for being ambitious. Your friend may tell you to focus on getting children or a spouse or religion as if that’s all that can be fulfilling for a person. When they appear to resent you for having a dream, it may be best to slow down the friendship.
2. Resentment
Having a career goal means your time may be taken up by the work you need to do. For instance, if you’re upskilling by going back to school, you may have less time for socialising. A yellow flag friend may pout or resent you for not having time for them. This is an amber flag because they may just be missing you and succumbed to a moment of immaturity. They may be getting vulnerable and you can give them some grace. However, if they’re upset that you’re working too much, take a step back.
3. Partially unsupportive
When you’re ambitious, you need people to support you as you support them. An unsupportive friend is typically a red flag but sometimes they have reasons for it. They’re not intentionally failing at their “duty” to be a cheerleader. Sometimes they’re also busy with their lives and can only show up distantly. For instance, they can only make phone calls once in a while or only send care packages rather than meeting up when you were younger. If your friendship is healthy, you will have more time for each other when your schedules clear up.
4. Unemployed
A friend who isn’t working may not be able to support you as you need. They’re also more likely to be needy and demanding. If they’re unemployed, they have more free time than you can expect you to be more supportive than you can be because you’re focusing on your career. Unemployment may not be their fault. Consequently, this is a yellow flag because it’s not something they can control. You shouldn’t avoid friends who don’t have jobs but they can display envy if your career is on an upward trajectory. Having a healthy friendship means you can have honest conversations about it.
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5. Self-centred
When you’re having a rough patch at work, you may need your friends more than ever. However, a yellow flag friend will keep taking your situation and making it about themselves. For most people, this is usually a way to relate to what you’re going through and they share their insights based on this. But when that friend refuses to listen to you and keeps making every discussion about them, they are displaying a red flag.
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Red flags to look out for among friends and how they can damage your career
These are dealbreakers and attributes you need to pay strict attention to. When a friend displays these, you can’t consider this person a friend anymore. One way to identify red flags is to think about qualities you don’t like in other people that you know. These are the friendship red flags that can be harmful to your career.
1. Envy
One common red flag among people who don’t want you to succeed is envy. Career envy can lead people to act in very damaging ways. Such red-flag friends discourage you from pursuing your dreams and remain negative no matter what you try to do.
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2. Theft
These friends can also steal your business ideas or try to sabotage your business by working against it. They don’t want to see you succeed or to see you outshine them. They can go as far as speaking ill against you with coworkers or fellow students.
3. Lack of commitment
Like any other relationship, a friendship requires effort put into commitment. When your friend won’t commit to the friendship, that’s a red flag. Especially because commitment in friendships doesn’t require as much presence as in romantic relationships. Something as simple as a phone call or responding to messages shows you that they care. When they aren’t committed to the friendship, they don’t care about your well-being. They’re most likely using you for something else.
4. Not taking you seriously
The one thing that people who support you do is take your vision seriously. They validate your dreams and help you where they can. Your friends should not be among the people who make you think you’re delusional for daring to dream. A friend who sees you as a joke is a red flag. They see your friendship as a form of cruel entertainment. Such friends and siblings can also pretend to value your dreams but use this as fodder for gossiping with their actual friends.
5. Pushing you too far
Conversely, some friends can think they’re helping you by pushing you to focus on your goals. They berate you when they think you’re slacking. In addition, they encourage unhealthy habits like using harmful substances to stay awake. They also make you miserable when you need to take a break or need to focus on your mental health.
Check out:
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