A friend once asked me, "how do you manage to know all these people and they all cherish you? Most of them you've known for over 5 years and more. Some you've barely known for 2 years and they can die on your matter(this means they take you as a very important part of their lives), what's the secret?"

Someone else asked me, "how can I be a good friend to others, it seems like people don't appreciate me enough as a worthy and true friend, they only let me in when I'm the only and last option they have. What do I do for the respect and value to be equal?"

That's exactly why I'm writing this post. I'll answer both. Let's go!

• First; KNOW THYSELF: Knowing yourself comes with a lot of confidence. Tell yourself that you are enough. No friend can make you more or less than you are unless you give them that opportunity. Friends are allowed to challenge you to be better but it's still your choice to accept that challenge and actually be better. Likewise a bad influence too. The first step is to know yourself so much that you can't change because of someone else, they rather go. Have standards and principles that you surround yourself with. This will help you a lot in choosing the right friends.

• Second; LOVE PEOPLE GENUINELY: Do not only love people that love you in return (so this love is not for your friends, but for everyone). Love people with all your heart. You have the capacity to do this no matter the differences in culture and all. Don't be a conditional lover, it's not old fashioned. "She hasn't done anything for me so why help her?"...that's a wrong mentality. A little help can fetch you a lifetime friend, if not, it can open doors you can't see. Truly love people irrespective of what they've done or not. This helps a lot in friendship eventually.

• Third; BE SELFLESS: When you eventually have a friend, (please check the definition of friendship here>> FRIENDSHIP) you must learn to be selfless. This means sacrifice any day, anytime. Someone just asked, "what if you have a friend that takes advantage of your selflessness?" ...the answer is, "that person is not your friend". A true friend NEVER takes advantage of a friend's sacrifice, NEVER! A true friend acknowledges the sacrifice and immediately thinks of a way to reciprocate that sacrifice.

• Fourth; FORGIVENESS AND TOLERANCE: We all have that dear friend that has gone through some tough life experiences with us, that has been there from day 1, but always annoying (most of the times they don't know). You must learn to tolerate people's excesses. It's a skill you must learn, it's an art you must master to keep dear people close to you. Don't be found counting the wrongs of your friend, never! Overlook somethings to protect the friendship.

This is where we will stop for today, the remaining 4 will come later. I know you got value here, please share or comment. I know you can relate with this. See you soon!