My stepfather, Jim, has a powerful observation about life: "Beware of those who don't have old friends." Considering that he is 73, that means something. His friends have been dying - particularly some this year, but his message is simple. Those who are able to sustain friends for most of their adult life are generally good people. When I look at my parents (all of them!), I see that they do indeed have life long friends: my dad and Sam Farr / friends from Carmel, Mom and Mary Jane, Papa and Jim Smith, Barbara and Roberta, etc. . .Even I reflect and see friends from different eras of my life - Chris R. & Niti S. from high school, Rick S. from Sewanee, S. J Carter, Terry "Jean Arnell" from Nashville, John W., Chris D., Dan W., Dave & Chris, DJ, David S. and now Tara T., Susan B., Robyn G., JoAnn A., Barbara B., Dave D., Tarit T., Bryce B. Andrew S., Cameron V., Julio C., Joey A. and more. . .
So when we consider business deals and allies, you might want to check and see how many old friends the person might have. It gives a whole new perspective on how people interact and will likely interact with you over time. A great resource to consider how your friends impact you is the book Vital Friends by Tom Rath. You can get more info about it here: https://www.vitalfriends.com/
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