Friendly people stand out in a crowd. Not all of them are charismatic and outgoing but they appear to be. Both introverts and extroverts can be very friendly and outgoing. There are some common denominators that make them so. Here are five defining attributes that seem common to friendly people:
Friendly People Smile – Smiles can be and usually are reciprocal. If you make eye contact and smile at a person, most often they will manufacture a smile of their own. People around you are overburdened, underappreciated, stressed, and have many concerns. Not much to smile about. A friendly smile gives a reason and permission for that person to smile.
Friendly People Identify Value in Others – Every person is created by and in the image of God. There is gold in every soul. Every person has value. A friendly person identifies value. Many people discount or devalue the worth of certain individuals. A friendly person does not do that. Disease, blindness, hearing loss, burns, obesity, birth defects and other physical, mental and social things do not define the value of individuals. A friendly person will often look for people who are seemingly overlooked, ignored, made fun of, or picked on by others, and befriend them. Friendly people are nice to everyone, not just a select few.
Friendly People Encourage Others to Step-up– Friendly people are encouragers. They believe in people and encourage them to take the next positive step up up, in life. Christians might encourage someone to take the next step in becoming more Christ-like. If someone is going the wrong direction morally, a friendly person will step in, affirm their love and concern, and encourage that person to go a better direction. A friendly person might encourage someone to learn a new skill or try something different. A friendly person encourages affirms, and guides others to take the next step up.
Friendly People Are Aware of Their Surroundings: When a friendly person observes the struggle or burden of someone, they try to help that person. They may hold a door open, help someone cross a busy intersection, or carry part of a heavy load. A friendly person is aware of individuals and activity around them. Friendly people observe, hear, and sense opportunities to help, and they respond.
Friendly People Make a Difference – Friendly people are like a person who walks into a nonsmoking room and lights up a cigar. They make a difference. Their smile, their voice, their touch is noticed by others. Politicians, Pastors, and truly friendly people are good at working a room. Speaking to folks, encouraging them, smiling at them, asking good questions of them, cognizant of the surroundings, the friendly person makes the room a better place.
I encourage you to implement these attributes into your own life, and suddenly you will be making a new positive difference. If you like this blog post please comment on it and subscribe to receive all future blog posts from Pastor Bill Fix, The People Pastor.
Bill is an author of several books that are available from Walmart.com, Barnes and Nobles.com, and Amazon.com. Be sure to leave your comments and suggestions.
