lasting friendships

Once your heart awakens to the need to be a friend, the search should begin honestly to determine what you are doing right as well as what you are doing wrong. Once you begin this journey, you can never go back. From then on, you should be inflamed with a special longing to seek to be the best that you can be. You should never again choose to linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment with regards to yourself as well as your friendships. While the need to be a good and true friend can make you reluctant to compromise on your friendships, it should not hold you back from striving toward the summit of friendship … forever together, weathering all storms.

Being a good, true friend – the kind we choose to keep close to our hearts; the kind that will last for the long haul –means being able to fulfill certain requirements. A true friend must be, more often than not, consistent, contributing, self-revealing, and trustworthy.  Be consistent with your time and attention. Don’t just be the receiver of the benefits of a friendship, be a giver as well. Share who you truly are; share your hopes, dreams, secrets, and imperfections. Keep secrets and avoid being judgmental. Avoid constant negativity and toxic behavior.

 Truthfully, you can’t always be all these things without there being misunderstandings and hurt feelings at times. But striving toward these qualities, at least with your inner circle of friends, is the basis of lasting friendships.