WHAT MAKES A GOOD FRIEND

ACCORDING TO THE FRIENDSHIP CAFÉ

7 Elements of What Makes a Good Friend

[What makes] a good friend is a person who will stand by you no matter what. They will help you and not make you do anything you don't want to do. They will understand your decisions, even if they don't agree, and try to help with life's problems. Friends are there to help with life, not to make life harder.
— Unknown wise person

A recent British survey found that the average person will have 363 friends during their life — but only six of them will be true friends! So what makes a good friend or a true friend? Here are seven elements:

1. What makes a good friend is someone whom you respect and who respects you.
2. What makes a good friend is someone whom you can trust and who can trust you (and don't try to fool yourself on this element if you have a habit of always showing up late or not keeping agreements with others - even the small agreements, because small agreements are just as important as the big ones.)
3. What makes a good friend is someone who is there when things are tough for you.
4. What makes a good friend is someone who will stand up for you when others are putting you down.
5. What makes a good friend is someone who is proud to hang with you and doesn't walk away when someone more interesting happens to show up.
6. What makes a good friend is someone who doesn't get mad at you easily and yet will call you on your bullshit when it is right to do so.
7. What makes a good friend is somone who if they know that being on time is important to you, shows up on time — all the time with no excuses ever. We live in a society where excuses, 99 percent of which are lies, are used all the time to cover up shortcomings. Don't be one of these people who uses these excuses and you will be a much better friend to all your friends.

  Excerpted from Life's Secret Handbook for Having Great Friends.

COPYRIGHT © 2010 by Ernie J. Zelinski
  All Rights Reserved