With all the people we interact with daily, knowing our true friends and mere associates can be a difficult. Here are five ways to help you see whether your buddy should stay on the rim or if you can let them into your inner circle and heart.
You can be yourself 100% of the time
We all have skeletons in our closets, events and mistakes that will forever be locked in our subconscious and not shared with anyone…ever! You know your friend is true when you never hesitate to share with them the details of your life, without the worry of how they will perceive you afterwards.
You can both be happy for each other’s achievements
Friends should be able to respect each other’s grind and hustle. In other words, a real friend will show genuine signs of happiness when you tell them you got a promotion at work – they will not make you feel like you need to downplay your success. Celebrate your differences as friends and not compete with each other. A friend who constantly competes with you cannot appreciate you and your strengths.
You can count on them to be honest with you
A friend will not sugar-coat the truth or even worse, hide it from you. Humans make mistakes and sometimes we can be so blinded from logic and rationality, allowing ourselves to partake in self-destructive behaviours. A real friend will tell you to stop asking for a second bottle of that whisky and sort out your problems. No true friend will watch and allow you to walk into tragedy if they know better.
They listen and are fully present
A healthy friendship has an equal amount of give and take. This means that each of you should listen as much as you share. If, when talking to a friend, you do not have their full and undivided attention, then something is not right. A real friend will listen to you completely and will not anxiously wait for you to finish so they can tell you about their own lives.
You are happy around them
A real friend knows you well and can sense when something is not right. In times of stress and hardship, a real friend will avail themselves to you. The two of you do not always have to be doing something to know that you’re happy – just being in each other’s company should bring a calmness that has the potential to make you feel better about everything that you are going through.
