What is life without the people you spend it with? Whether it’s family, significant others or friends, all of those relationships are built on the values of friendship. And I know one thing is for sure: I wouldn’t be where I am today without my friendships.

The way I see it, friends are one of the greatest blessings in our lives. They’re the people who are there for our weakest and darkest moments. They’re the ones who make your problems their problems. They stay by your side always. These are the people that empower us to live at our absolute best at every moment of every day. Many things change strangers into friends, whether it was bonding over a difficult homework assignment in first grade, or a bad breakup that brought you close because of a simple struggle in common. I know one thing is for sure: no matter where your friendship began, each one is just as valuable. The strength that one person can give another is something that shouldn’t ever be taken for granted. My closest friends give me the courage to do things I’m passionate about every day, and they inspire me to do my best to live fearlessly. I’m able to do these things through them. I know that if and when I fail sometimes, they’re there as my fall back. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Reliability is one of the very best things, in my opinion, about friendship.

Another incredible impact of friendship is the meaning your friends give you. I feel important when the people I’m close to in my life need to lean on me, and it’s a pretty great feeling when you’ve made a friend’s day better even slightly. These friends teach you about yourself without even realizing it; they build your confidence with every moment you spend together. The significance of your friendships is something that really can’t ever be explained, especially when it comes to the best of friends. The cliché saying, “They know me better than I know myself” really is the best way to explain the meaning of many friendships that we hold so close to our hearts. Friends in general see us and love us for even our quirkiest of traits. They give you reasons to keep going when everything else seems to going against you.

Friendship should never be taken for granted, but it should also should never been taken advantage of. We all have definitely had our fair share of unhealthy friendships in our lives. We know them well, and we know them to be toxic. Whether it was someone that used you for your skills, or wasn’t healthy for your well-being, these are some of the people that really are only meant to be in our lives for a short period of time. I know some wonder why we have to deal with these types of friendship struggles at all, but I think they’re important even though they bring strife. These people are in our lives to make us stronger, and to remind us how lucky we are to have the great friends in our lives that we do. However, the way it happens a lot of the time is it takes us a ridiculous amount of time to figure out that certain friendships are unhealthy and need the boot. As soon as it’s clear that they’re doing more harm than good in your life, that’s the point where you need to reevaluate and make the healthy choice for you.

At the end of the day, friendships come and go, and that’s healthy. Letting go of long-term friendships that have gone sour can certainly be difficult, but when it comes down to your own well being, that’s when these decisions need to become a priority. So be grateful every day for all those friendships you have built, and don’t take them for granted. Always make time to remind the people closest to you how much they mean to you.

The value of friendship is undeniable, and it should never be underestimated.