Having friends brings many benefits to our lives. We view having friends as being a positive influence, otherwise why would we hang out with them, right? Well, there are some very solid benefits to having friends that annoy you. Below I will show you five of these benefits. At the end, my hope is you will come to appreciate some of those annoying friends of yours or even appreciate some of the idiosyncrasies the friends you care for the most have.
1. Teaching Patience
This is probably the one area that many of us need help with. It is easy to listen to someone when they are telling you what you like or want to hear. However, sometimes, you may gain valuable nuggets of information from those that can be quite annoying. Learn to be patient with all those interact with and you may find you can gain some interesting insights and maybe even learn something new.
2. Encouraging Open Mindedness
We tend to find favor and be more interested in what others have to say, as long as we agree with it. The truth of the matter, is whether or not we agree with something doesn’t make it any less true. The next time that annoying person tells you something you don’t agree with, don’t automatically dismiss it. Take a moment to see if there is merit in what they are saying. Being open to an opposing viewpoint can bring greater clarity to your way of thinking.
3. Improving Listening Skills
As mentioned in the benefit above, it is easy to listen to someone when we agree. However, when someone annoys us many of us simply want to shut them out – we stop listening. By doing this, we rob ourselves from developing one of the most important life skills one can learn and that is listening. When we are being annoyed, it takes that much more effort to listen to what someone has to say. The harder it is to listen, the strong we can build our “listening muscle”. The next time you want to tune someone out, resist the temptation and practice listening.
4. Learning Appreciation
By understanding the previous three benefits, in time, you will come to appreciate the diversity of thought these “annoying people” can bring to your life. Some will challenge you while others will down right annoy you to the point of wanting to inflict bodily harm. If you take a step back, you will begin to learn to appreciate your differences. This appreciation can translate to appreciation in other areas of your life with even the simplest of things like music or food. While I’m not suggesting that all annoyances good for you; however that can open new areas of your life you can appreciate and enrich your overall being.
5. Challenging You To Be Better
This benefit is an interesting one, especially for those that don’t think they need to change or are good enough. When dealing with someone that annoys you, there will be times where you have to take the high road or be the better person. Putting this into practice is much easier said than done. However, if you can embrace this challenge, you will find yourself looking for ways to be and do better. In the end, thinking and acting this way can only serve to improve your life.
Conclusion
We have taken a look at 5 benefits that annoying people can bring to your life. Can you think of anymore? When we look at the diversity around us it’s easier to gravitate to that which is more familiar, comfortable, and likeable. I challenge you to learn to see the beauty in these annoying people and accept them for who they are. By doing so, the one who stands to benefit the most is you.
Featured photo credit: The more you talk, the less you’re heard./Tez Goodyer via flickr.com
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