A good friend is one of the best things you can have, and being a good friend is one of the best things you can do. I went away for college, and most of my friends ended up 1-5 hours away in the opposite direction. Of course it’s hard at first, but a part of the college experience is meeting and gaining new ones. If they start off with something along the lines of “Wow you too?! I thought I was the only one!” then you know it could be the start of something great.
Being a good friend really is not all that hard; so don't settle for anyone whose company is not positive and uplifting. I’m sure we all would like to gain a friend who is like Patrick to Spongebob or maybe a Ron to Harry. But how do you know if you have truly good friends or maybe just some good times together?
1. They accept you for exactly who you are, without judgement.
Good friends will always truly know you and still unconditionally accept the person that you are. If you don’t feel accepted then you can’t be honest. If you can’t be honest, then how great of a friendship could that be?
2. They are happy to see you happy, even if at the moment, they aren't.
If you achieve something that they have not yet been able to get for themselves, they are still sincerely excited for you. It’s selfish for a friend to not be able to take part in your triumphs just because they are feeling down. Their first instinct shouldn't be “Why not me?” but instead should be “I’m proud of you!”
3. They are honest with you, even if it may not be what you want to hear.
While a good friend’s job is to support you, they aren’t there to just agree with everything you want, say, or do. Their jobs shouldn’t be confused with an assistant’s. Instead of telling you what you want to hear, they tell you what you need to hear.
4. They make time.
If you find that your friend only has time for you when it is convenient for them, then it’s not really fair. You should never have to fight for someone’s time, especially if it’s your friend. Anyone who values your time, will set aside their time.
5. They make you feel better, not worse.
A good friendship should never feel draining or stressful. It’s true that friendships require effort, but that doesn't mean that you should beat yourself up over trying to make it work.
Remember that you are who you chose to surround yourself with. Friendship is all about quality, not quantity. You will prove to be much better off having one or two genuine friends rather than hundreds of potentially toxic ones. One of my good friends always says that "Sometimes your circle shrinks in size, but grows in value."
