What are the qualities you look for in a friend? 

“A friend overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden.” 

Someone has thoughtfully expressed the above quote about friendship. The relationship between friends is something that occupies utmost importance in one’s life. Friendships are meant to encourage and motivate us rather than weigh us down. For a healthy, comforting, and supportive friendship, we search for the following qualities:

• Loyal: The first and the foremost thing that one expects from a friend is loyalty. A loyal friend will always remain truthful and honest, even behind your back. When it comes to being loyal and honest, a true friend will always try to show you the right path, even if it is straightforward. 

• Supportive: Everybody has the right to make their own decisions in life. Some decisions may be hard, while others may be easy. A true friend will always support you no matter what and no matter where. Your pal will give you constant reassurance and help you make your decision easier and better. However, there may be instances when one follows the wrong track unintentionally. Here, a friend must point out where you are wrong and stop you from further following that path. This might be hurtful at times, but it is the right thing for you!

• Non-judgemental: An honest friend will not judge you for anything in life. At some moments, one might follow decisions that will make you stand out from the crowd. This should not be embarrassing for a friend; instead, they should be supportive enough to get you through it. Judging someone for their decisions surely weighs them down. Instead, be somebody’s hope and true support.

• Loving: The most fundamental building block of a friendship is love! Love can be expressed in several ways. What matters the most is its presence. It can be found in the simplest of gestures and the hardest of moments. Friends understand that the world out there is cruel and might hurt you now and then. True friends will always cheer you up with a hug and some words of encouragement.

• Adaptive: An excellent quality that is hard to find is adaptiveness. A great friend will always try to be flexible enough to fit into your schedules and will expect the same from you. With both the friends adaptive enough, nothing can bring ego in between their relationship. 

Why is it important to be a good friend?

If one expects the above qualities from their friends, then it is also important for them to practice similar qualities. Friendship is a two-sided relationship where we learn values like love, support, gratitude, help, and whatnot. It is not important to be around your friend always but what matters the most is the level of understanding true friends achieve.