Being social is good, but being too social is definitely harmful if you do not know how to maintain your checks and balances. Let me explain it like this:

Look at yourself. Are you too social? If yes, then you have a lot of friends you care about. You share your joys and sorrows with them. You won’t be lonely when you are sad, as having so many friends, there will always be a bunch of friends who’ll be there to console you and cheer you up. Whenever you achieve something, you tend to tell them about it and you feel great when they  congratulate you. Their appreciation will further motivate you to achieve something even bigger. This is the positive side of being social. Now think of a situation where you need to take a serious decision. A decision which, when taken, will push you towards your goal of happiness and fortunes, but offend your friends. You need to pressurize your brain a lot to decide what to do. At this point of time you realize that its time for payback, for being too social. I do not mean to say that dump your friends and follow your dream. But, it’s a paradoxical fact that at such a point of time, most progressive people tend to think only about them whereas a very social person enters a dilemna which may lead to depression after choosing either of the two options.

Being social is good. Having friends is good. But having too many friends is not good. Most of your “many” friends are not true friends, of whom you’ll know only when you are in trouble and they do not show up to help you. These so called “friends” are just pests. In prioritizing your goals, sometimes you may need to compromise for them, so as not to offend them. But let me tell you, offending them does not even matter, they’d come back to you when they’ll need you again. Try it!

In fact, I have personally observed that the more the number of “friends” you have, the more are your liabilities towards them. They tend to pull you back when you are in pursuit of something. Whenever you need to decide something, you will always tend to think about their approval, irrespective of you wanting to think about them or not. And with a doubt in mind, you won’t ever be able to take a firm decision. Remember, its your life and you are to decide what you want for yourself.

Therefore, being social is good, but being too social is definitely harmful. Having too much liability towards others restricts your own freedom and makes you a prisoner of their thoughts. So, get yourself a few (3-5) good friends and stop being too social or too much available for others. After all,

“People want you to be good, but not better than them.”

© Barnadhya Rwitam Sharma