The 5 Types of Friends Everyone Should Have

When you think about your core group of friends, who comes to mind? What are they like? What personality traits do they have? Which situations or interests center your friendship? The answers to these questions may be both obvious and not so obvious.

Oprah once said, “Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” Our interpretation of that is to create a circle of friends who inspires you, encourages you to work for your dreams and isn’t afraid to challenge you. Don’t feel bad about eliminating people from your life who aim to discourage or put you down.

The 5 Types of Friends Everyone Should Have

The Brutally Honest Friend

This friend is arguably the most important of the bunch. He or she will tell you straight up, with no embellishments, what you need to hear, no matter how difficult.

Sometimes, hearing the truth is really, really hard. No one wants to hear their boyfriend is a bad fit for them (even if they already know it themselves). The brutally honest friend cares more about your well-being than if you will be angry with them for what they are saying.

You need someone in your immediate life who isn’t afraid to hurt your feelings because, let’s be honest, people in the real world won’t hesitate to tell you like it is.

The Worldly Friend

This is the bud who introduces you to things you never even knew existed. They  will encourage you to try new cuisines, teach you how to travel efficiently, and give you a greater appreciation for the cultures of the world.

You need this person to help get you up off the couch when you only want to have a Breaking Bad marathon on Netflix. They will recommend new books and music and teach you that there is more to life than what is on the Internet.

The Flexible Friend

We aren’t talking about a gymnast, dearest twenty-somethings. We are talking about the pal who is up for anything, the spontaneous one whose eyes light up at the first word of an adventurous plot, the one who will meet you at a moment’s notice for coffee or spend an evening with you seeing a silent film.

This person is an important part of your friendship circle because they will teach you how to loosen up and the importance of being a reliable friend.

The Overachiever (AKA The One You Shamelessly Admire)

The first thoughts that come to mind when describing this person are endless energy and enthusiasm, a penchant for living life to the fullest, and succeeding at everything they set out to do.

This person will teach you your worth and share their secrets in time management, as well as patience and perseverance. Having celebrities or notable personalities as role models is fine, however, you also need someone in your own life who you can interact with and look up to.

The Long-Standing Friend

This is the best friend since grade school, the friend who has known you through all of your ups, downs and in-betweens. He or she has seen you both at your Amanda Bynes and your Beyoncé. There really isn’t more to say than that.

But let us remember, while having friends is essential to nourishing our minds and our overall well-being, we need to practice being good friends to others. As people, we are incredibly dynamic and don’t always fill the same role in each friendship we have.

Every relationship between two people is unique. In one relationship, you might be the brutally honest friend. Your brutally honest friend might be someone else’s long-standing friend and so on.

Above all, twenty-somethings, value your friends and be a good friend yourself.

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