What Makes A True Friend?
What makes a true friend?
It can be hard to tell what a true friendship looks like, especially if you’ve surrounded yourself with bad people. But let me tell you from my experience; when you find a true friend, you’ll want to keep on and hold onto them! They are truly valuable and some of the best people you will ever meet. Because it’s very hard to meet a true friend who has amazing qualities while also treating you well.
It’s definitely not easy to meet true friends. Not only does it involve a little bit of luck, but I also feel you yourself will need positive qualities in order to attract those types of high-quality friends. So if you have a true friend, don’t let them go!
But what are these qualities that true friends have? What should you look out for? That’s what I’ll be talking about today!
In this post, I’ll go over 5 different traits on what makes a true friend. You’ll want to cherish these friends if they have any of these qualities. Some of these you may already know but others are more subtle and nuanced. I’m sure you’ll find this post informative.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Loyalty.
I’ve made a bunch of friends all these years and I can tell you that from my experience, loyalty is probably the best trait to have in a friend. In today’s world, loyalty can be very hard to find in friends. We live in a world that can be polarizing, and all it takes is one mistake or having the wrong opinion on a subject to immediately lose a friend. It can feel hurtful because you didn’t have a chance to redeem yourself, and how quickly the friendship was thrown away by your friend over something so trivial.
A true friend will stay by your side. Even if others don’t view you in a positive light, your friend will still be there for you. The only time a true friend would leave you is if you did something very bad or you know you’ve been making mistakes but won’t own up to them. A true friend isn’t BLINDLY loyal to you; they are loyal because that’s built into their ethics and morals. A truly loyal friend will never do you dirty.
2. Honesty.
On the flip side, I wanted to address the other side of a true friend. While they will be loyal to them as long as you are doing the right thing, they will also not hesitate to be honest with you, even if it may hurt you first initially.
For example, if you’re doing something wrong, they will be more than likely to call you on it. And it’s not because they want to one-up you or to put you feel down (that would not be a good friend), but they genuinely want to see you do the right thing. A good friend brings out the best in you, and if it means being honest in all situations, then that is a true friend you’ll want to keep.
I think the best way to tell good honesty from bad honesty; how you feel in the end. In my experience, when I had a friend be brutally honest to me while being helpful, I actually felt BETTER at the end. It would hurt initially at first, but they wanted what’s best for me. Which leads me to my next point…
3. Wants what’s best for you.
A true friend will always want what’s best for you. While you might think that all friends are like that, unfortunately that is not the case. Some friends may get jealous (click here to read about jealousy in friendships) and may not want to see you succeed ahead of them. Others will give you advice or information that suits their interests and not you.
But a true friend is nothing like that. They want you to genuinely be successful in every aspect of life. I would say this would have to do with their personality. They’re the type of person who doesn’t try to bring others down and loves watching people achieve success, including you!
4. Will try to help you, no matter your situation.
You could be a millionaire with all the things you want but still feeling sad. On the contrary, you could be poor with no money at all and trying to make ends meet. A true friend would help you in both situations. If you were rich, they would try to find you assistance with your mental health or guide you to a place to where you can get help (note that they won’t be your therapist because that’s not friends are supposed to be). And if you were poor, they wouldn’t give you money but they would help you look for a job or try to do small stuff to help you get by.
A true friend will always be by your side to help you, no matter what your personal situation is.
Last but not least, a true friend is someone you can share your secrets with. As I’m sure you’re aware, your secrets are very valuable to you. It’s a side of your vulnerability that you’re reluctant to share to just anyone. But your secrets are safe with a true friend. Because they are so trustworthy and understanding, you have no hesitation in sharing secrets with them.
If you’re able to share secrets with a friend and feel like it’s secure with them, then that’s a sign of a true friend.
Summary
To summarize, here are the 5 traits on what makes a true friend:
- Loyalty.
- Honesty.
- Wants what’s best for you.
- Will try to help you, no matter your situation.
- Someone you can share your secrets with.
And there you have it; 5 prominent traits that a true friend will have. I hope you found this post informative!
If you have any questions or feedback, leave them in the comments below!
