What makes a great friend

How many real friends do you really have? Are your friends ? Or are they pulling you down? How to distinguish truly precious relationshipsHow many actual, ‘in the trenches’ friends do you think you have? Most people reveal that they have fewer than five, and many said two or three. Does this compare with your situation?

Also, it was generally agreed that authentic friends make life more momentous, and when times are hard, these friends may be the difference between surviving reasonably psychologically unhurt or going down the gurgler! Therefore, it is critical to encourage these friendships since they can be vital to one’s enduring joy and happiness.
So what constitutes a great friend compared to a good friend or an acquaintance?

Many people concur on some character traits of a good friend:

1. You are able to trust each other which means that you have no secrets and you honor your assurances, you are always candid. 2. You can rely on each other for help when you are in some type of difficulty but this might not necessarily include every variety of encouragement – e.g. monetary 3. You may not see each other frequently but when you do catch up it is just like the preceding time you met 4. First-rate friends seem to feel when you are anxious or not feeling well, and will take the initiative to ask if there is a dilemma, and will keep asking until they are contented you are okay.

Now we approach to the ‘crunch’ – what elevates a friend from being a good one to being a first rate one?
The answer is one important and essential quality. It’s called “TOUGH LOVE”.
This means loving enough to supply criticism that may produce pain in the short term but will be valuable in the long term. Tough love is being prepared to say what a person NEEDS to hear rather than what they DESIRE to hear! This can mean advising a friend to alter a behaviour, approach, belief or value that is harming them or making them unhappy.