Picking the right ship in friendships

In partnership with

Great friends are a lifeline.

They provide respite in prolonged misery.

They offer a bit of tranquility, like a spaceship appearing out of nowhere after drifting aimlessly in the vastness of space. Finally! Food, shelter, human interaction!

The challenging aspect about friends, however, is that there's a significant difference between a fantastic friend and a terrible one. Recognizing this difference is crucial.

Here are a few things that could characterize a terrible friend:

• Doesn't seem genuinely interested or willing to help when you have a problem.

• Always talks, never listens.

• Only ever wants to hang out when it's party time.

• Doesn't support your endeavors.

• Seems to only reach out when they need something.

• Continually draws you into patterns of behavior you're trying to break, and are particularly bad if they shame you for attempting to break a pattern.

• Takes jabs at you.

Here are a few things that could constitute a great friend:

• When you call or reach out, they are there.

• They listen when you talk, especially when you're going through tough times.

• Even when it's somewhat inconvenient for them, they will show up for you at performances or concerts you're excited about but they might not be.

• If you don't want to do something, they will respect your decision.

• Will take jabs at you, but if you ask them to stop giving you shit about something, they stop.

The most challenging part about having great friends when you need them is ensuring they are there when you need them. In other words, cultivating a great friendship takes time. Someone can seem like a great friend after knowing them for 2-4 months, but they might not be. It might only be at the 6-month mark that they reveal themselves to be a terrible friend.

However, just because you have a terrible friend, doesn't necessarily mean you need to cut them off. But you do have to be impeccable about setting boundaries with them, and understand their role in your life. If they're there to party when you need to party, then just let them be the party friend. Just don't expect the party friend to be there when you need a break from misery.

So, who are your great friends?

Put your money to work in a high-yield cash account with up to $2M in FDIC† insurance through program banks.

Get started today, with as little as $10.