Standard Three: Consistency is King
Consistent friends are the best friends! When you have a crazy little life emergency and need someone to call, you want to know they are going to pick up. When I moved to Nashville I wasn’t used to how busy people are. Life in the mountains was a bit slower paced, but here, people stuff their schedules full like trying to stuff a couple weeks of clothes into a carry on sized suitcase.
I’m a people person. I love being around lots of people, talking to people, and getting to know people’s stories. I will never know enough people, there are always more people to meet and get to know. But we are limited by this thing called time, so even though the world is filled with fascinating and fun people, I don’t have enough time for all of them, and they don’t have enough time for me.
I’ve met some really incredible humans who I would love to get to know, but getting on their schedule feels like a chore. It feels impossible to work around differences in my schedule and theirs, and it results in infrequent conversations and hang outs so that the friendship kind of feels like catching up with your distant cousins at Christmas.
I call those people acquaintances, and just like your distant cousins you might really look forward to seeing them over the holidays, but you know they won’t become a deeply trusted friend when you can’t see them consistently.
Being consistent shows you both value each other enough that it’s worth it for you both to make the time.
If you want to show someone you care about them, be consistent in showing up.