- My brother showed me this from one of his friends' blogs, smoothharold.com.
- Avoid people who “size you up.” Likewise, don’t size up others (i.e. “Do you rent or own?” is a useless question, unless of course you’re a loan officer). Sincere friendship is built on fellowship, not comparison.
- Surround yourself with people who are kind to strangers, especially waiters and cab drivers. (I used to be good at this, but could definitely do better).
- If a “friend” pauses, becomes physically jealous, or feigns excitement when you share some genuinely exciting news, kindly show them the door and wish them well. A true friend will always be excited with your achievements.
- Avoid people who brag about how busy or tired they are — it’s a cheap way of saying they’re more important than you, and you don’t want to be around people like that for extended periods of time.
- Avoid “one-uppers,” or at least let them know that you’ll only continue the relationship so long as they stop one-upping.
- Surround yourself with good company that will fight over the restaurant tab with you. Avoid those who pretend like mom and dad are around to pay for everything.
- Avoid people who feel entitled to something from you or who constantly seek favors without return. This is good indication that said person is selfish, not to mention rife with ulterior motives.
- Avoid people who brag about materialism or how often they travel. Not only are they likely to be up to their eyeballs in debt, hating their chosen profession, or miserably alone, they’re bad friends.
- If you have “friends” that make you feel uncomfortable in any way, drop ‘em like a bag a dirt. Set the expectation early with douche bags that you’re no longer interested in pursuing the relationship. You can tactfully accomplish this by not reaching out and/or declining further requests to hang out. They’ll get the message.
I think it is so true and so wonderfully put. Thanks to my honies out there whom I don't feel any one of these pertain to, whatsoever. And for that I thank my lucky stars for. Miss you guys.
Interests may come and go, but authentic friends are constant. Have the courage to find and maintain the keepers in life while exiling the duds. You’ll be much happier for it.
3 comments:
"How much is your mortgage payment?"
That's a good one.
This is cool.
Pretty good stuff. I find those to be generally true but I wanted to say something about the "one uppers."
I recently realized how much I unintentionally do that. In my mind, I'm not trying to "up" or "top" somebody's story, I'm trying to say, "I know how you feel."
I share similar experiences because to me, it's important to know that I'm not the only one going through something. (Being egocentric as I often get, I of course assume everyone is like me in this regard). And when I hear the stories of others I'm reminded that my situation is normal and not as bad as I'm making it out to be.
So something else to add to the list is: Don't be the kind of friend who is quick to judge. Get to understand a person's motives before you decide their character.
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