Three Traits You Need to Be a Good Friend

When it comes to counting your blessings, you very likely have your friends somewhere close to the top of that list; am I right? I know that my husband and I feel very fortunate and very thankful to have the strong, loyal, fun group of friends that we have. We love that they all get along, that everyone is different and that no one judges or doesn’t accept anyone for being different. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve definitely realized that quality is far more important than quantity in the friendship department, and we learned that there are three very important traits that people need in order to be a really good friend.

Be Real

No matter what you do, if you want to establish strong friendships and a great sense of self, you have to be real. No matter how good you are at pretending to be someone you aren’t, in the end it will come out that you just aren’t the person you’re trying to be. Additionally, it’s a lot better to be real and have friends who accept all of your flaws and insecurities than it is to be fake and be liked for someone and something you’re not.

Be Loyal

Real, long-term friendships are based on loyalty and trust. If you are not loyal and your friends cannot trust you, your friendship will suffer. Keep their confidences to yourself, respect their privacy and be loyal. If someone says something negative about your friends, don’t join them in the gossip session, tell them that you’d appreciate them keeping their negativity to themselves because your friends deserve more than that.

Be Respectful

Remember that in the grand scheme of life if you don’t respect someone, they won’t respect you in return. Respect your friends. Respect their choices. Respect their families, their homes and their relationships. It’s what makes a good friend a great one.