Qualities Of A Good Friend
Friends. Whether they’re acquaintances or lifelong companions, there’s no doubt that we all need them. They play a key role in our lives as we go to school, college, work, and have fun.
But what is a good friend? What makes someone a friend that can’t be replaced? How can you find a good friend? Apps like Passionfruit exist to help build those connections, but it’s important to know what signs you’re looking for when reflecting on your friendships. It’s also important to make sure that you’re being the best friend that you can be to your circle of friends.
What Does It Mean to Be a Good Friend?
Before we get any further, it’s important to understand what a good friend is and what it means. Good friends are unlike your typical fair-weather friends. They stick around when the going gets tough, whether you’re going through hardships or pleasant times in your life. You’ll notice that you want them around in your life too.
Qualities of a good friend include honesty and open communication. You shouldn’t fear telling them your worries. They’re someone you can trust. A good friend is reliable, open-minded, and offers comfort and care. When looking for the good friends in your life, focus on the people you feel you can let your guard down around. These are the people who form your safe space. A good friend is a safe space where you feel free to voice your opinions.
That said, there’s one integral quality to good friends that is often overlooked. Put bluntly, good friends aren’t afraid to call you out on your mistakes. This isn’t the same as making fun of you, but it’s the desire to see you do better than you are. If you make a bad choice, your good friends will help you out and want to see you better. Good friends make us better people.
How to Find Good Friends?
Good friends are hard to come by. This is absolutely true. However, it’s far from impossible. If you know where to start looking, then you can expand your social circle and make new friends. Remember to put in the work and maintain these friendships. You have to develop friendships so that they flourish and grow into enduring, honest, lifelong companionships.
The Passionfruit app is an ideal place to begin. You can put yourself out there according to your interests and get to know people, personality first and appearances second. After all, friendships start in the heart, and it’s better to begin a relationship deeply instead of relying so much on shallower metrics such as looks.
Friendship apps offer the benefit of giving you an idea what a person is like before you decide to commit any more of your time and effort to them. Based on Passionfruit’s matchmaking criteria, you can connect with people who share your passions. Use the time to understand what type of person they might be. Listen to the way they talk about their other passions. Pay attention to the way they listen to you talk about your interests. While it’s a good idea to try and gauge what type of friend a person can be for you, it’s also worth reflecting on how you can be a good friend for someone else.
How to Be a Better Friend
When all’s said and done, it’s important to take a look at yourself. You might be asking yourself after reading all this: Am I a good friend myself? How can I improve myself for the sake of those around me as well as those I meet? Asking yourself these questions is the first step towards improvement, and self-reflection is a sign of a good attitude. Once you decide you want to be a better friend for others, there are a few things you can do to try to be a better friend.
Here are some tips on how to be a better friend:
1. Make sure to listen attentively
In any conversation, listening is key. It’s important to listen when your friends talk. It’s far too easy to get carried away talking about your own life or and your own interests, but remember that your friends need you just as much as you need them. Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on, so work on being that shoulder for the people you love. When your friends notice that you’re listening attentively, they’ll find themselves wanting to reciprocate that effort. Overall, this will lead to healthier friendships.
2. Be trustworthy
A good friend is a safe space. After reflecting upon your own friendships, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that some of your best friends are the ones you can confide in. Trust is a mutual thing, so remember to value other people’s personal matters as much as you would like them to value yours. When you build a rapport with your friends and become a confidant for them, they’ll be more likely to feel vulnerable around and share more intimate thoughts as they begin to trust you more. A little bit of mutual trust goes a long way in forming the backbone of enduring relationships. When two friends continue to share moments of trust and intimacy, it helps solidify their friendship.
3. Do not speak ill of your friends
This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s worth mentioning. Piggybacking off the subject of trust, you should never, ever talk about your friends behind their back. That means that you should never talk about them in a negative light, especially when they’re not around. We’re all human and we all have flaws that we may be unaware of. Gossiping and bad-mouthing can especially be detrimental to a friendship if the person somehow finds out about it. It can erode all the trust that has been built between the two of you. If your friend is doing something wrong or acting in an unpleasant manner, trust them enough to have a private conversation about it. More often than not, they’ll be grateful that you decided to talk to them about it in a mature fashion.
4. Tell your friends you appreciate them
With the busy schedules and countless responsibilities of our everyday lives, it can be easy to forget that we haven’t checked in on our friends. It’s important to remember that nobody’s a mind reader. While you may love and care for your friends deeply, a reminder for them never hurts. It will make them feel appreciated and that will go a long way in any relationship. Let your friends know that you care for them, that you would like to hang out with them, or simply that you’re here if they need to talk about anything. These little moments are worth their weight in gold.
Final Thoughts
When looking to make new friends, it’s important to keep in mind the qualities that make a good friend. It’s important to step out of your comfort zone and use friendship apps like Passionfruit to make new friends. However, it’s just as important to recognize the signs of a good friend. While you’re looking for these qualities in the people you meet, you should also put in effort to instill these qualities within yourself. Once you learn how to become a good friend for others, you will be able to attract good friends that will lead you to fulfilling and long-lasting friendships.
