How to Become a Good Friend Or Even a Best Friend
By Steve Hill

A recent survey suggested that the average person in their forties only has four people that they consider to be "a true friend". How many true friends would you say that you have? It is generally well known that the older we become the less "real friends" we have. This is due to various reasons including the fact that people who we previously classed as "a true mate" has let us down in some way, has moved away or because we have just been too busy. In this article I will be writing about the qualities that one would expect to see in a true friend, I hope you enjoy the read.

The characteristics of a good friend:

1. Honesty
2. Loyal
3. Kind
4. Fun
5. Trustworthy
6. A Good listener
7. Happy
8. Positive

These are the some of the characteristics that I would expect out of the people that I spend a large amount of my time with. I am in need of people who can listen to my problems and then advise accordingly. I need to be able to trust them; I would not therefore expect them to spread my news in the form of gossip to other people within our area.

I want to be around fun, upbeat and positive people. I certainly do not want to be dragged down by a person who is always thinking and talking in a negative manner.

A best friend of mine would need to be a kind person, warm hearted and generous, certainly not selfish. I expect a good friend to be loyal towards me and to also be honest.

Do you have the above qualities? Perhaps I am being too picky; this could be one of the reasons why I also do not have many "best friends"!