I’ve been thinking a lot about my friends and the people that I attract into my life. I don’t know about you, but when one friend leaves my life invariably someone else will take their place that will remind me of the older friend.

I think it’s pretty important to have close friends throughout your life, particularly at different life stages. I’ve really been blessed with some of my friends who have been very fantastic to me for many years. But, I’ve been great to them, too.

It’s true that you have to be a great friend to have a great friend. And, I have some pretty darn fantastic friends!

You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can’t forget. Those are your ‘friends.’– Author Unknown

With that in mind, here are 7 Friends That You Should Have In Your Life:

1. The Cheerleader

You need that friend who is your cheerleader and will support you no matter what. This is the friend that you go to when you’re feeling down. They’re most likely to give you a pep talk when you’re feeling really down and just need someone to remind you what a fantastic person you really are. They might even come over and give you a cheer with their pom-poms, if you ask nicely.

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. — Albert Schweitzer

2. The Hipster

This is the friend who is younger than you and can tell you what’s new and hip and trendy today. This friend doesn’t make you feel old, but tells you what you need to know to keep up and be cool in today’s society. They’ll tell you that MySpace is Out, Facebook is In (for now) and that you desperately need to update your wardrobe from the ’90s. This is also the type of friend that you can tell stories about the time you wore leg warmers (when they were in) and that you had the Rachel ‘do’ for months and they’ll know exactly what you mean.

The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.  — Henry David Thoreau

3. The Mentor

If you were a gentle mentor to your Hipster Friend, then your Mentor Friend is someone that you go to when you need solid advice. This friend always seems to know what you need to hear and when you need to hear it. They’ll guide you through the pitfalls of life because they’ve been there and done that. They have your best interests at heart and don’t want you to go through the trials and tribulations that they did. They have some things figured out and are happy to share with you their wisdom.

Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.  — Virginia Woolf

4. The Comedian

The Comedian is the friend that you go to when you need a good belly laugh. She’ll brighten your day with the craziest story that happened to her that day and will have you hugging your sides from laughing so hard. Everyone needs a friend that just ‘gets them’ and this friend gets you. They can make you laugh no matter what happened. Even if your pet died that day. They’ll find something funny about every situation. And, since laughter is the best medicine, after being your Comedian Friend, you feel a lot better just by being with them.

Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose. — Tennessee Williams

5. The Pusher

We all have doubts about our abilities and what we should do with our lives. The Pusher friend is the one who tells us to stop waffling and apply for the job or go for the guy because ‘darn it, we’re hawt!’.  There’s a little bit of tough love because The Pusher knows that we will come up with all sorts of excuses, but they see right through our B.S. and makes us go for things in life. Without the Pusher, we wouldn’t have gone for that promotion or asked that girl out or made you take up salsa dancing or told you to just get on with it.

6. The Translator

This is the friend who’s of the opposite sex who only has the best platonic intentions for you. They’re able to translate the opposite sex with you when you have no idea what to make of that date you had last night. They’ll tell you not to sit by the phone because he’s just not that into you. They’ll tell you that she was just being nice so that she didn’t hurt your feelings and that you are firmly on the friend ladder. Because they are of the opposite sex, they’ll translate for you the men- and woman-speak for you. They help you navigate the waters with the opposite sex.

A good friend is a connection to life – a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.  — Lois Wyse

7. The Best Friend

Everyone needs a Best Friend in their life. This is the friend that sticks by you no matter what. They’ll go with you on that double-date because they know you need the moral support. They’ll even take the pottery workshop with you and give up every Saturday for weeks, just because they want to be in your company. Your Best Friend is the first person you call when you just got dumped and the person you call to bail you out of jail. They’ll help you move, pick you up at the airport, remember your birthday every year and are always there for you. They’re on your speed dial. And, you’re on theirs. Your Best Friend knows you and you know them. Silences don’t need to be filled and you don’t have to explain why you’re crying or why you called. They’ll just know.

Remember:

In order to have a friend, you have to be a friend.

You are one of these friends to someone in your life. And, if you’re not – why not!?

The best time to make friends is before you need them.  — Ethel Barrymore

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Tagged as: Friendship, Personal Development