A true friend is someone who knows how crazy you are and is still willing to be seen in public with you.
5 Signs of A True Friendship, Never Let Your Friend Go
How can you make sure that these friendships you have invested so much emotionally are actually authentic?
Here are 5 telltale signs of true friendship.
1. THEY ACCEPT EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, INCLUDING YOUR FLAWS.
They don’t want to change you; they embrace everything about you, from your quirks and flaws to your best personality traits. That doesn’t mean they have to particularly like or agree with everything you say and do, but they don’t bash you or try to alter your personality, either. You feel like you can breathe a big sigh of relief around them because, in a sea of billions of people, you’ve found one person who sees the positive things about you even when you don’t see them yourself.
2. THEY STICK WITH YOU THROUGH BOTH THE GOOD AND BAD TIMES.
This one probably best distinguishes a fake friend from a real one; in hard times, a true friend would never dream of leaving you in the shadows alone. Instead, they offer to help you however they can, and bring you back into the light again. Fake friends often bail on you because they only wanted to stick around when things went well for you, and felt like helping you through your problems was a burden for them.
3. THEY ARE HAPPY ABOUT YOUR SUCCESSES AND CONGRATULATE YOU WHEN YOU REACH A NEW GOAL.
Fake friends feel jealous and contemptuous when you achieve something exciting in your life, but true friends will celebrate your accomplishments with you. To know if you’re dealing with an authentic friendship or not, just notice who sticks around when you reach new heights in your life. Some people will try to tear you down, but the real friends in your life will feel happy for you.
4. YOU FEEL TOTALLY COMFORTABLE AROUND THEM, AND THEY PROBABLY KNOW THINGS ABOUT YOU THAT MANY OTHERS DON’T.
They know your best-kept secrets, your wildest dreams, and the unique quirks that you only share with people you feel most at ease around. They know all the details about your love life, your most cherished childhood memories, and all those embarrassing stories that you wouldn’t share with just anyone. They want to know you to your core, not just on the surface. This separates a true friend from a fake one in many ways.
5. THEY MEET YOU HALFWAY – THEY DON’T EXPECT YOU TO ALWAYS BE THE ONE TO REACH OUT TO THEM.
You don’t have to call or text every time you want to meet up; they also show interest in hanging out with you and contact you often to catch up. You don’t feel like you have to chase them in order to keep them in your life – they put equal effort into your friendship, and make time to see you. They don’t only talk to you when it’s convenient; they reach out to you because they truly care about you as a friend and want you in their life.
