7 Qualities That Make a Good Friendship!

Two years ago, I flew from Colorado to NYC to attend my first ever New York Fashion Week. This is a week for all things fashion. From brands to new designers, people from around the world come to NYC to scout and be scouted. I decided to attend fashion week solo because I am always up for adventure. The night before my first set of shows, I was sitting in my hotel room reaching out to other women in NYC to see who was attending the same shows as me. Neelab of @pearlsandplaces was one of several women who reached out and we made plans to meet up the next day before the shows. Of course, I Instagram stalked her and then went to sleep. The next day, I meet Neelab in line and she’s in this gorgeous wine colored dress that makes her olive skin pop! She waves to me and we immediately hit it off with our conversation! We end up going to all the shows, grabbing a bite at Chelsea Market, and the rest is history! The past couple years that I have known Neelab, I have been able to observe who she is as an individual and understand why our friendship is so strong. There are a lot of qualities but I have come up with 7 that have kept us going! Here they are! Look for these qualities when finding good friends!

The day I met Neelab! Fashion Week September 2017
Fashion Week Sept 2018 with Neelab and Kelsey
Fashion Week Sept 2018 Shot by Mark Ladanan

You ENCOURAGE each other! Neelab and I choose to support each other in our goals and dreams. We give each other tips and advice in order to grow as a person and to grow our friendship. Neelab is incredible with implementing ideas and she is one of the most disciplined people that I know. You tell her to do something and before you know it, it’s done! I am so inspired by her diligence.
You do not GOSSIP. We all know that if someone is gossiping to you, that same person is most likely talking about you behind your back . #Notcool. Find useful things to discuss that can have an impact on your future and your heart. Neelab and I tend to discuss our careers, ideas, entrepreneurship, dating, and our faith.
You listen to one another. If all your friend is talking about is themselves, do they even care about you? Neelab is really good at listening and reciprocating within a conversation.
They do not judge your beliefs or lifestyle but challenge them. You do this by asking questions so that you can see where each other are coming from. Neelab and I do not share the same faith. I am Christian and Neelab has a background in Muslim but explores different faiths. Neelab has asked me about my beliefs in God, how I pray and other things and I learn about her Persian culture. I think that this helps both of us develop an open mind and appreciate each other more.
You can laugh over everything. I mean ugly laugh, where you either start crying or snorting! HAHAHAHA Neelab and I can look at each other and just start laughing. For.no.reason!
They tell it like it is. Sometimes people can be scared to give true advice for the sake of saving face or being nice. Don’t. That doesn’t help either party in the long run. If there is something that I am doing that Neelab doesn’t think is wise, and vice versa, true friends tell each other before it is too late.
You CRY together. There have been some tough times where Neelab or I needed to just cry over the phone. It is hard because even though I now live closer to her, we are still far away. Thank goodness for phone calls and FaceTime!

Of course, there are plenty more qualities to look for in a friendship but here are the few I have come up with. Tag some of your good friends and let me know the qualities that your friendships share!