7 Characteristics of a Good Friend

You may desire to have good friends in your life, but have you ever thought about what that really means? What does it look like to have a good, true friend?

There have been multiple studies done about the benefits of a quality friendship. In fact, according to this study, your blood pressure is lower when you engage with a supportive friend, as opposed to a higher blood pressure when you are around someone you feel are ambivalent or neutral towards.

After years of reflection and talking to others on this very subject I came up with the below list. 

7 Characteristics of a Quality Friend:

  1. Authentic – they are true to who they are and their personality, and they can talk about the good in life, and the bad 
  2. Easy to get along with – it doesn’t take herculean effort to have fun and interesting conversations
  3. Respectful – they respect you even if they don’t agree with your opinion
  4. Has difficult conversations – they will talk to you about anything bothersome that comes up with the friendship rather than ghosting you
  5. Support you – they cheer you on in your endeavors
  6. Safe – you can bring up anything subject without being judged
  7. See you – you feel like they love you for you

Do your friends have the qualities listed above? Who comes to mind? 

In my own life, there are a few people who pop into my head as a great example of a quality friend.

There is one friend in particular that I typically feel my absolute best around. We originally met through a volunteer service group (the Kalamazoo Rotaract Club), in 2013.

To this day, we not only laugh a lot together, but we can talk about anything, which is important. Whenever I ask her if she wants to try something new with me, she never judges me or tells me my ideas are silly. Instead, she typically says yes and then starts helping me plan it out. 

When I go through very difficult life changes, or even when I’m feeling at my lowest, she shows up as a sounding board, and is there with me every step of the way until I’m in a better place. When I decided to start my own business in 2021, she helped calm my fears and cheered me on. I have never questioned my place in her life – I know that she wants me to be in her world

She has set the bar for the type of person I wanted to be around.

Maybe you’ve read this far and have realized that you, too, need more of these kinds of friendships in your life. However, you might be wondering, “where can I even find these friends?”

Well, I got you covered.

Check out this blog article for inspiration of 8 Places to Meet Potential Friends.

  • Go from “alone and doing nothing” to having weekends that are jam-packed with festivals, hikes, taking classes, and backyard barbecues with good friends.
  • Discover interesting outlets for meeting people, even if it seems like there’s not much to do where you live.
  • Most people say they want good friends, but never do anything about it. I’ll show you how to take the actions up front to not only meet new people, but to find the RIGHT friends for you.

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