The 5 Virtues That Define A True Friend

Have you ever stopped to think how many friends you have? And what is a true friend? A new study affirms that Spaniards have a greater number of friends than people who live in the countries that geographically surround us.

But is the quality of these friendships good enough for us to consider them as such? In other words, do we have more real friends or just more “acquaintances” or “people we sympathize with”?

The truth is that we abuse the word “ friend ” to a great extent. Many of us enjoy spending time with those with whom we have fun, but they don’t have to be our friends.

What are the 5 virtues of a real friend?

To become aware of how great the word friendship is, we are going to talk about the virtues that define a true friend. In this way, we will be more aware of who they are and thus take care of them every day.

1. Listen without judging yourself

People have a tendency to help others by sharing our feelings and opinions, often in excess. We have probably all sinned at some time when we have related to others with an excess of ego.

The badly managed ego leads us to treat our environment with negative judgments, those with which you do not seek the true and authentic well-being of your friend, family member or partner.

When we need someone to listen to us, we usually go to the company of our family, partner and friends. Listening is an action that is born from a very special gift, that of full time. With a friend, you don’t use the verbs “ must ” or “ have . “

Between authentic friendships, any action, help and support originates on its own, without claiming anything in return.  Listening means understanding the meaning of the message they convey to me and understanding its context.

Empathy can be described as a feeling that makes us feel the same as another person, despite not living the same situation. It allows a person to feel close to the pain or suffering of another because they are fond of them, or because of a matter of ethics and human emotion.

A true friendship will employ empathy at all times, putting aside your self and maintaining a silence full of affection and attention. Something that we sometimes overlook, a true friend will carry out perfectly.

Probably, at some point in your life you have asked yourself the following question:  do my friends find me only when they need something from me? When you ask yourself this with one of your friends, the ” what are you ” to meet and hypocrisy become the core of your relationship with this person.

We know that hypocrisy is the constant or sometimes sporadic attitude of feigning beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities or standards that are not held or practiced . The  hypocritical “friend “ appears qualities or feelings different and contrary to those he really experiences and feels.

Luckily, there are still friends who truly, and under unconditional love, remember those moments that worry you or are important to you in any part of your life. They remember your problems and are aware of them, making sure you are aware that their person is there without asking for anything in return.  

4. Your flaws turn them into virtues

You will agree with me that none of us, as human beings, are perfect. There will be many of those around you who do not like your personal defects and are convinced that their mission is to have to make them known to you. Those personal defects that make you unique …

But on the contrary, you will also be lucky to keep those people who do not notice them by your side , empowering and being the best showcase of the best of you. Those are real friends.

5. They are always with you

As I shared with you in previous points, the differences that you have between the two of you or the strong discussions that you have been able to live among yourselves as friends do not matter. Neither time nor distance has greater relevance in your relationship and in keeping affection alive. A true friend will always be with you.

You know that you can always count on him in the most difficult moments. He will give you his unconditional support and, most importantly, he will want to be part of your precious life as a true life partner.