The New 411
By Raymond Ward
Who’s your BFF – best friend for life? That’s an easy question for the girlfriends who comprise The Force of Friendship. “All seven of us!” they enthusiastically reply with such harmony and conviction that it sounds like a well-rehearsed chorus. But it’s not.
Friendship for these seven women is not coincidental or contrived. It is honest sisterly love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Throughout the more than 30-year friendship, the women have experienced the pendulum from joy to pain that life can bring. Successful careers. International travel. Marriage. Motherhood. Divorce. Abuse. Death. Yet through it all, they remain a solid support system for each other, providing encouragement and consoling, and say their bond continually deepens.
Adult development and aging specialist Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne writes in Psychology Today that friendship is one of the most important yet least understood areas of human behavior as it relates to the role friends play in our lives. “Most of the research on friendships concerns children and adolescents, and only rarely do researchers seriously address friendships over the latter (and majority) of the lifespan,” she explains.
Having such a special, long-lasting friendship between seven women led Nora Shariff-Borden to recommend to her six BFFs that they formalize their relationship by forming The Force of Friendship. “What I love about having a friendship with these amazing women is that we inspire each other and travel the world together, all while bringing laughter and joy to each other’s lives,” remarks Shariff-Borden. “Our love for each other inspired us to write this book of inspirations, which we hope will inspire people everywhere, especially women, to live your dreams, own your power, and find friendships as meaningful and beautiful as ours.”
“The Force of Friendship: 100 Powerful Inspirations” is a 100-page collection of quick and easily digestible daily affirmations written by all seven girlfriends that covers such topics as faith, mindset, leadership, courage, success, belief, love, dream, fear, and, of course, friendship. In addition to the book, the FOF circle of friendship is conducting webinars and touring the country to help motivate and show women how to make friends, how to be a good friend, as well as how to nurture and cultivate good friendships with girlfriends that are free of cattiness and drama. Their recent “Rock Your World with Courageous Girlfriends” webinar provided insights on: developing quality friendships in a new city; balancing personal and business friendships; supporting a friend through singleness, divorce, and abuse; and comforting and supporting friends who are caregivers. For more information, visit www.theforceoffriendship.com. Connect with The Force of Friendship: facebook.com/forceoffriendship; instagram.com/forceoffriendship/; twitter.com/forceoffriends
