Making Friends – A Guide to Getting Along with People is Written and illustrated by – ANDREW MATTHEWS. He is the author of the international bestseller ‘Being Happy!. My Views on Making Friends go like this. It is a perfect teacher provided you are a dull student. This book is about getting well along with people. That is how you can improve your relationship with them. Making Friends teaches you how you can understand their attitude. In fact, you learn how you can understand their personality. And how to overcome the problem they face and need someone to help them. For instance, if somebody has an attitude for seeking tension or problem. And he feels that everyone ignores him. He will try to attract everyone’s attention.
People keep highlighting your weaknesses or problems but don’t get bogged down by this. You need to ignore it, swallow it, digest it and silently improve upon it. Don’t let yourself go into a shell because of this. Rather, overcome this weakness or problem. If people are not happy with you or ignore you, seek answers from them why they do it. As a matter of fact, try to explore what is the reason. What do I do so that people don’t ignore me? People have a tendency to react sharply if your weakness is highlighted. Like if somebody says your body has a bad odor. Then people and friends around you will start ignoring you. Even if they are not getting the bad smell at all.
Making Friends by Andrew Mathews: Book Review
This all happens more on how others perceive and listen rather than actual experience. In the nutshell, like yourself, love yourself, but don’t ignore others. You must like others too. Don’t be too proud of yourself. Stop comparing and stop getting depressed if you are compared. Emphasize that you are you and not that person with whom you are being compared. Avoid boaster. Who praise themselves and always let others down. Before changing others, change yourself. Adjust and compromise. And your life will be happy. Don’t wait for others to come to you and invite to join a party. Rather throw a party and invite people. That will start an interesting cycle. Get out of the corner. Stop hiding.
Don’t wait for other to come and highlight your weaknesses, or improve you. Rather change yourself. Who knows you better than YOU? Don’t fear of a CHANGE. In fact, don’t let your low esteem work in reverse. Who is bothered about the pimples on your face? Go out of your room instead of waiting in your room for pimples to leave your face for which you stop all your outdoor activities. Moreover, quit playing games. Don’t pretend. Rather pour your heart out. For instance, you want to go out for a dinner. But you want your spouse to say this. How does she/he know what you have in your mind right now? And how you are so sure that she/he will refuse? But be sure that it is NO if you don’t talk about it. Sometimes live your life to fit your belief system.
Making Friends by Andrew Mathews: Book Review
Mary doesn’t feel good about her. And due to this perception about her, her friends usually ignore her. Instead, Fred likes her, behaves well with her. But Mary starts wondering why Fred likes her when she is not likable. And she starts ignoring him. In fact, she stops responding him. Fred feels ignored and gets a reverse message that Mary doesn’t like him. So he silently moves away from her life. Now a stage comes in Mary’s life when nobody likes her. And she starts scolding herself that why nobody is there to like her. Why there are no good persons in my life? Why everyone ignores me?
Lucy has a belief system that there are good people around in the world. She can always find caring and loving people to be with. She decides not to spend any time with the people who don’t like her. Or who are rude and aggressive. With this attitude, she is able to find good and caring people and leave lousy people for Mary. Decide what you want to be – Mary or Lucy?
Martin has a habit of taking everybody’s work besides his own work in the office. He finds a friend, who wanted to help him, but this looked abnormal to Martin and he pushed this friend away from his life. Martin thinks that all the people who don’t help him in his work and who don’t do their own work are normal.
Making Friends by Andrew Mathews: Book Review
About the Book Making Friends: This book is about enjoying people. It is regarding dealing with prophets of doom. The book tells you how to say NO sometimes. How to prevail over gossip? Lastly, about pettiness and anger. It is about understanding that IF YOU WANT FRIENDSHIP, YOU MUST BE A FRIEND FIRST. Making Friends, in fact, is a funny reading too. As a matter of fact, it comes with a lot of serious learning. It has a lot of comical strips which are perfectly able to convey the message. Like one says – “There are 70% people having a problem with their partners. Ok, what about the rest of 30%. Oh, they are singles.”
Another comic strip in Making Friends says – “But I don’t want to concentrate on my business, yours is more interesting than mine.” There are a lot more, all interesting, funny but meaningful. The author says “Being Happy” was about yourself, Making Friends is about people around you. People who depend on you, those you want to see, and those you avoid.
About Author: Andrew Matthew is based in Adelaide in South Australia. His first book Being Happy was a worldwide publishing phenomenon after its release in 1988. His writing, illustrating and public speaking talents are in great demand throughout North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia. Overall, Making Friends is an absolutely interesting and introspecting book.
