How to be a true friend

Do you want to have a lot of friends? Many people do and I'm sure you do too. But for that you should be a good friend first. That's how you attract many people to come to you. That's how you make people want to build relationships with you.
To be a good friend, first of all you should befriend yourself. Only by befriending yourself can you befriend other people. If you can't even accept yourself then how can you accept others?
So make sure that you accept yourself unconditionally. You might wish that you had a different background or were born in a different family. But don't. Accept yourself as you are. Understand that there are many people in this world who are less lucky than you. Perhaps what you have doesn't seem much to you, but there are many people who have even less than you.
Next, you should learn to accept other people as they are. Nobody is perfect including you. Everyone has both positive and negative sides. So don't expect everyone to be what you want. Give them the freedom to be themselves with all their positive and negative traits. Doing this will liberate you from unrealistic expectations and help you have good relationships with others.
It's also important that you learn to give first. A real friend doesn't just ask but also give. In fact, that's the mark of real friendship. So start giving. It could be as simple as saying hello or smiling. Or you could offer your help when your friend needs something. The important thing here is your sincerity.
Of course, you should also provide your time for them. To build strong friendship you need to spend time together. It doesn't have to take much time. The quality of the time is more important than the quantity.
Most importantly, you should be there when they are in difficult times. It's easy to befriend someone when everything is all right. But difficult times are your chances to prove that you are a true friend.

Don