In July of 2009, "Frenemy" was one of the many words added to Webster's dictionary. It's basically a combination of the words "friend" and "enemy," and is used to refer to two people who pretend to be friends but really hate each other, or extremely competitive friends.
The word comes with bad connotations, and I've decided to bust some of them, because having a frenemy or two isn't really that bad. In fact, it can actually be beneficial, in certain situations.

1) A good reason to have a frenemy is competition. Let's say Mary and Adrian are frenemies. Mary decides to lose ten pounds. Adrian's been trying to lose weight for quite some time now, but has never fully applied herself. Mary loses 5 pounds and is looking better by the day. Adrian looks the same. What does Adrian do?
Try to outdo Mary, of course!
Now, I'm not saying trying to one-up each other is something we should all strive towards, but wanting to do better is human nature. If having a frenemy will motivate you to do that through competition, why not try to do better?
A little healthy competition never hurt anyone, right?
2) Patience. It's pretty well known that when you're confronted with someone annoying (as frenemies usually are), you'll want to punch them.
Key word there? Want.
Many people will be patient with their frenemies and refrain from hitting them. At the time, this may seem a nuisance, but in the long run it will help them exponentially, especially when it comes to dealing with difficult people.
3) It'd be nice to believe that we are the best at everything. Sure, you can be the best when it comes to social anthropology, but then there'll probably be someone better than you at physics. If you're a world-renown public speaker and excellent when it comes to relationships and spirituality, then there'll probably be someone better than you at maths.
See where I'm going here?
Humans, unfortunately, can't have it all.
And this is where your frenemy comes in.
It's highly unlikely that any two people will have the exact same strengths and the exact same weaknesses.
Person A will always be better than person B at something, and person B will always be better than person A at something else.
In having a frenemy who's better than some things than you, you'll be able to use your strengths to your advantage.

So, after reading this, don't you think a frenemy would be a good idea?
Comment with your views!

The Don't Series: Things Not to Do When Dealing With a Salesperson

1) Don't leave without saying thank you
2) Don't break things and not pay for them
3) Don't treat salespeople as if they're uneducated
4) When the salesperson is doing something for you, don't keep checking your watch impatiently
5) Don't roll your eyes
6) Don't forget to smile
7) Don't get mad at the salesperson when something isn't their fault
8) Don't avoid looking at the salesperson
9) Don't talk to the salesperson without saying "hello" or "excuse me" first
10) Don't threaten to never come back. Chances are, the salesperson won't care
11) Don't threaten to sue.
12) Don't lose your temper
13) Don't be disrespectful if you're in a hurry
14) Don't forget that salespeople have feelings too

The Don't Series: Things Not to Do When Meeting People

1) Don't make fun of politics or religion
2) Don't stare them down. Eye contact is a good thing, but not when it's creepy
3) Don't shake hands too hard or weak
4) Don't avoid eye contact
5) Don't fidget
6) Don't appear nervous
7) Don't try to impress someone with false information
8) Don't pronounce their name wrong
9) Don't act as if you like them when you don't. They can tell
10) Don't answer phone calls in their presence unless you really have to
11) Don't excuse yourself and never come back
12) Don't be arrogant, shy, or negative
13) Don't be void of emotion
14) Don't laugh at everything they say. Laugh if you find it funny.