8 minutes rule for friends…

Often, we don't know how a friendship was born, or how it came to last. These strangers have become important people, and we hope they'll be around for a long time to come. Those who lose the title of friend may never have been one !

In a world controlled by social media and easy chatting, we forget how important it is to hear each other's voices! A study on happiness by Dr. Waldinger, Professor of Psychiatry Department of Medecine at Harvard's, explains that those who receive phone calls a few times a week lower their rates of anxiety, depression and isolation. He explains that investing time in our most important relationships has a tangible effect on our well-being, and is a goldmine of vitality!

Asking for help is often difficult... In today's performance-driven world, it's almost dangerous, even painful, to go solo. We need others, just as they need us! It's vital to maintain our interactions.

I have a friend who is going through some very dark years. She impresses me with her strength and positivity afterwards. I don't always want to intrude on her life, but I hope she'll dare to call me when she feels the urgency to talk or act! Simon Sinek came up with the idea of the eight minutes, and I decided to apply it around me, to people who deserve my sympathy, including this precious friend. From now on, all she has to do is text me: do you have 8 minutes? That's the message I wouldn't miss for the world. I will take this time and listen to that person on the phone not be texting…

If eight minutes of our time can make a difference, would it be asking too much to leave a meeting or pause what we're doing to spread a bit of positivity to the other person's day? The most important gift we can offer someone is our time, and our friends worth more than eight minutes!

I'd like my friends to dare to ask for help, if they need it! They'll realize how much love surrounds them. The best way to have friends is to be one!