True friendship doesn’t begin in hours or even months, rather they are built on solid foundations and geared to stay eternally. Many ships could take you to success but no ships can be as secure, propelling and infinite as friendships.

According to the author Jim Rohn, we are an average of the five closest people in our lives. That shows how much influence our closest friends can have on us. Your best friend plays an integral part in your growth and success. This is why you should be thankful for the inputs he/she makes in your life to becoming who you are now, whether a great husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter. So here are things that I am thankful to my best friend for and we all should be thankful to our best friends for.

1. Thank you for always sharing

Your friend didn’t keep it all to themselves. Rather true friends share things with you whether opinions, gifts, or rich moments. We all should be thankful for the things our best friends shared with us. I will always be thankful to my best friend because he shared and made my life richer and fuller.

2. Thank you for being honest

Being honest meant he/she was not selfish. My best friend wanted to be my friend because it was about it being a relationship built on a solid and real foundation, on something that meant something to both of us. What better way to make this known that through his/her honesty? It made it easier to be able to lean on his opinions so as to make my next smart decision.

3. Thank you for being supportive

It wasn’t about whether my decision was smart or foolish. Or what he/she would get out of it. It was about them giving me the extra push I need to make every decision I made count. It was about me succeeding where others failed and prompting to me to learn from those actions I took, whether they were right and wrong. You were always supportive and thank you for this.

4. Thank you for being there

There were times there really were very few people to turn to. Like that night when I had to call you at 1a.m. to discuss the break up in my relationship. You were always there to listen and lend an advice to keep me going and never to look back.

5. Thank you for being loyal

That was the hallmark of our friendship. You wouldn’t rat me out or take sides with others without showing your loyalty to me first. You wanted me to always know that you had my back and wouldn’t simply offer your allegiance to an opposing side.

6. Thank you for the compliments

You were not afraid to say it. You were proud of me ahead of every other person. You would tell me what I needed to hear to show your support and how appreciative you are of me as a friend. You gave your heartfelt compliments and this I will never forget.

7. Thank you for watching over me

Remember that time I was ill and you came to the hospital to see me. You didn’t just visit, you also stayed and proved an encouragement for me to get well soon. Yes you watched over me and offered that solace I needed during my low moments.

8. Thank you for believing in me

Many others may have doubted my ability and questioned my actions but not you. You believed in me, that I could make a difference in the world and become who I am supposed to be. You didn’t envy me or try to talk me out of amazing possibilities, rather you motivated me and encouraged me to keep on going even when the odds against me seemed huge. Yes you believed in me and made sure I succeeded.