Admit it. You think you are closer to your friends than you are to your family, right? There are things you can never confide to your parents and siblings, but you can tell your closest friends. Although you know your family will always be there for you, you can’t tell them all of your troubles.
So why is it that we can share these stuff to our friends but not to everyone else? What makes them so special that we made them an exception? If you want to know how to spot a good friend, check the previous article, How to Know if You Have a Good Friend. If you already did, keep reading below.
The Kind of Friend You Have
There are basically just two types of friends – the good and the bad one. However, for most, all friends are good. We won’t consider them friends if they aren’t, right? But as much as there is a shadow in every light, so is a bad friend among good ones.
Today, let’s try to fill your bowl of relationships with some cold water, and test who will float. Below are some characteristics a bad friend have that you can consider if you want to assess your friends. A little disclaimer though, we are not responsible for heartaches and frustrations afterward.
The Opportunistic
This person will keep you close only because of what you have. This person will use you for your assets, such as your car, your home, your business, or your money. Sometimes, this person will use you for them to be close to your well-off friends, siblings or parents.
If your friend is someone who is only good to you if they get something from you but treats you like trash whenever you have nothing to offer, be wary. This person will leave you at your worst moments.
The Egocentric
This person will never see your worth. A person who lives by the tune, “it is completely about me,” is not sensitive enough to know that you also have needs. A person like this talks about what’s on their mind that they will consciously or unconsciously tune you out.
An egocentric person is not an ideal friend for they do not genuinely care about you. They do not value people other than themselves so if things get bad, they will get themselves out of the situation.
The Materialistic
Most confuse this word as someone who use other people to get what they want. However, this one’s a bit different. A materialistic person values things more than they value people. This is not a good trait of a friend because this person is not trustworthy. They have the ability to sell you out for luxury.
Keep in mind that giving value to someone is a core foundation of friendship. This relationship wouldn’t last when you or your friend is materialistic. Why? Because a day will come when your situation will be grave and one of you will take the other for granted in exchange for something either of you will find more important.
The Self-Pitying Friend
Feeling inferior to others is also not a good trait to have as a friend. This is the type of person who will always come to you whenever he is facing a problem and seeking some advice. They will let you know about the difficulties they are going through letting you feel pity for them. But then, if you are the one who needs help from them, they will fall short on you.
It’s not fair to you if you spend 2 hours giving them composure, yet they find it hard to give just five minutes of their time to you. You are not their therapist, so you should avoid letting them broadcast their moans on your expense.
Ending a rotten friendship with your “not-so-good” friends can be tough especially if you already loved and cared for them deeply. However, life would be healthier without these toxins around. The choice is yours to make. It’s either you live a life full of compromise or enjoy its fullest with your dearest friends.