As a friend, you should know your opinions matter and so are theirs.
We're flawed beings. Our opinions differ from one another and if they didn't, the sun would still be orbiting the earth and humans will be none the wiser. But at times we find that we are heavily invested in some subjects or too against and often we're unmoving from our standpoint even with friends - and maybe they do have a point. If you feel they're not listening to your point, ask yourself, are you listening to them?
As a friend, it's not your job to control your friends' lives.
I understand the need to be protective, to prevent someone we care about from hurting. We are all given a life each. But to control each and every aspect of their lives, from "where should they go" to "who they should meet" isn't accepted. Hardship is part of life. Let them go through sufferings, be there to lessen it.
As a friend, you should understand your friends as much as you make them understand you.
Be understanding even when your friends aren't seeing eye to eye with you. Put yourself in their shoes and see what they're seeing. It's as hard as it sounds. This might sound difficult but do it.
As a friend, jealousy shouldn't make room in between.
Think of it this way, your friend is jealous about a competition that you've won or landed a job that you have wanted. Instead of being happy for you, there's a slight annoyance in his/her face and snarky comments of how undeserving you are. How do you feel? Do you wish the same feeling your friends feel? You can be jealous, it's somewhat unstoppable but you can still be happy for their success and make them feel worthy of it.
As a friend, you must know that your friends just want to be heard sometimes.
No one will ever tell you that sometimes being unreasonable is alright. Sometimes you need to vent to get out all the aggression and negativity inside; be out with what you're feeling inside. Your friends need it too as much as you and in those times they don't want to see reason or another point of view but just to let it out, pour out what's inside.
As a friend, you are not to lie to save their feelings nor sugarcoat the truth.
Among all the pain and hurt, it's our protective nature that we try to save our close ones from some of the hurt they may go through. We twist our words to sound a little less painful, hide or completely lie so they wouldn't find the truth. But we forget that truth eventually comes out and during that moment it will hurt more because there are lies and deceit on top of it.
As a friend, you should support your friends' goals however far-fetched they seem.
We don't always have our life set out for us and often we debate with ourselves if we want to achieve this goal. As much as we think that discouraging words may fuel them and they'll channel it to pursue that goal, that is only one-third of the truth. In fact, encouraging them might just give them enough boost to do wonders.
As a friend, you're not to talk badly about them behind their backs.
It's is said that only a true friend will tell you what they think of you in your face and if you're to consider a good friend, don't bitch about them behind their back. Don't we hate when fake friends do the same to us?
As a friend, fixing your friends is not in your criteria of things to do.
Just as we have no right to control our friends' lives, it's not our job to "fix" them either. Being flawed has its upsides and downside. We're dented and imperfect but then again we weren't meant to be perfect. We can't correct our friends to turn them into an extension of ourselves.
Everyone says what kind of a friend they want but hardly anyone talks about what sort of a friend they themselves should be. We play so many roles in our lives and the role of a friend is a pivotal one. I have seen people failing miserably at some roles while excelling in others. For example, we have seen in the movies, outlaws being great friends to each other and also outside their circle, but they are outlaws - I neither mean any disrespect nor being judgemental, just throwing my point across. We should not just imagine what our friends should be like but becoming a good friend should take precedence. My point is if you're considered a good friend then you'll find friends in unexpected places and situations.
Be a good friend to get a good friend.
