For all of you who joined us half-way through the year, missed a post here-or-there, or just want to re-read some of the goodies to see if they speak to you where you are now, here are the most read, popular blog posts from the last year:
This post revealed the results from a Glamour Magazines poll about how we stereotype each other based on our weight. And it’s not just one weight group judging another; it goes both ways, and we are even negatively judging others who share our same weight. Relationships cannot help but be impacted by this judgment.
2. Shaping Serendipity as Way to Make New Friends
This post about the three levels of pull was so popular that I expanded it into a portion of my new book “Friendships Don’t Just Happen!” since the break-down of actually how we can go about strategically attracting more friendships into our lives is so helpful.
3. Three Things I Wish I’d Said To Kathie Lee and Hoda on the TODAY Show
I barely made it to the TV station in time, but once I did those 5 minutes of airtime went all too fast! There was so much more to say so here’s what went through my head but didn’t get said on national TV this time.
4. Required Reading for Women Looking for New Friends
Rachel Bertsche wrote a bestseller last year called MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend and it was a witty, helpful, and honest memoir filled with social research that could assist anyone in their friend-making process. My post about it gives a couple quotes from the book so you can get the feeling of just how good it is!
5. Friendship Break-Ups 3: “Was She Really a Friend, Anyway?”
This post was triggered by a woman who claimed that since her fridnds hadn’t stayed in touch with her through some big changes that they must not have really been friends. I kindly disagree.
6. Help! Should I Tell My Friend that her Husband is Cheating on her?
Quite possibly one of the toughest posts I’ve written, this one keeps getting so much traffic that I can only hope it’s helpful in saving some friendships through this very difficult decision! (And, re-reading it, I see that I promised a post about what to do when it’s our friend who is cheating. Gulp! I will keep my word.)
Friendship has so long been this airy-fairy search where we are left feeling like it’s up to fate to introduce us to our BFF’s. But that’s simply untrue. In this post I tell you exactly where you will find your future best friends.
8. A Moment of Honesty About Forgiveness
I shouldn’t have been surprised that confessing my failures to you would be popular! LOL! I can teach forgiveness but that doesn’t mean I’ll do it well all the time!
9. What We Need Are More Women, Fewer Girls
My first post of last year hit a nerve when I basically invited us to “Grow Up!” It’s a good read whenever you need a little motivating kick in your pants to pull your big girl panties up. I talk about how to show up as women when we feel the fears of judgment, of not being good enough, or of being rejected.
10. Friendship Break-ups 1: A Drift or a Rift?
With women replacing half their friends every seven years, we have to become just as practiced at letting go of friendships as we do in making new ones. This post helps walk you through the common experience of a friendship drifting apart.
* And a bonus one! This one was my personal favorite: All Those “Unhealthy People” Drive Me Crazy since it reminds us how important it is to ask for what we need from each other!
A huge thanks to all my GirlFriendCircles.com members and readers of my blog! I love it when you leave comments and feedback– thank you!
May we continue in 2013 to honor all that is right with friendship, committing ourselves regularly to the practices of healthy personal development and relationship joy.
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Looking for more top articles? Here are last years highlight: Top 10 Blogs of 2011
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Thank you, so much, Shasta for this site, which I have just recently come across. You have really opened my eyes and provided me some much-needed wisdom as to why my 35+ year friendship with my group of friends (that I have known since high school, we will all be turning 50 this year) has ended. It has been some years since we parted but I’m still having trouble dealing with/accepting it. Your statement that we have unrealistic expectations of what a friendship is, and, that its a mistake to view all friendships as the same definitely turned on the light bulb in my head. There won’t be any reconciliations, but you have helped me greatly. I have taken some steps to move on, making an effort to find others, but it isn’t always easy. But I’m trying. Thanks again.
Kathie– it means a lot to hear that. Thank you for taking the time to articulate what was helpful– it’s good for me to keep hearing what resonates and matters to everyone! You’ll hopefully like my book that’s coming out in a few weeks (“Friendships Don’t Just Happen”) as it talks a lot about healthy expectations… you’re not alone in trying to figure out what’s healthy, normal, and expected! Courage to you as you keep healing and learning to trust and love again!
Shasta- Absolutely the Best Year in Review!…It is funny how you can read something at one point in time, then read it again at a later date, and it speaks to you in completely different way. As always thank you for sharing, encouraging, and offering that small reminder to act! I have to say i re-read the post #2, and the part of worrying less about impressing others was exactly what I needed to remember…I am about to be in a situation to meet lots of new people, and I was stressing about my new 15lbs. not showing quite so much…you reminded me that I could care less if someone gains weight, it is gonna happen..and others undertsand and feel the same way…Happy 2013!