There are many qualities and characteristics that can characterize someone as being a “good friend”. Qualities such as being kind, humorous, loyal, and trustworthy are all basics to being a good friend and even a decent human being in general. Another very important quality that is important for being a good friend is reliability. People often forget the importance of being a reliable friend and a reliable person.
Reliability is so important because it will ensure that no one’s time is wasted. If two people keep on trying to make plans and one of the people keeps on bailing on those plans, that friend is not a reliable person. One of the most important things in a healthy friendship is respect, and when someone continuously makes plans and then bails on them, that person shows a lack of respect towards the friendship.
Reliability can also be categorized by being consistently there for a friend when they are dealing with hard situations, offering to drive your friend places when they don’t have access to a car, etc. If you find yourself lacking a bit on the reliability scale and want to invest in a little self-improvement, here are a few ways to become a more reliable friend.
First, make sure you always respond to messages and texts. The response does not have to be instant but if you are in the middle of trying to coordinate plans with someone, stopping responding in the middle of that is pretty unreliable.
Next, make sure to do some little favors for your friends, especially if they do those favors for you. Maybe pick up a coffee for them or offer them a ride. This will not only show your reliability but also your commitment to the friendship.
You can also just try to surround yourself by reliable people which will, in turn, create an atmosphere of reliability around you and you are more likely to be influenced by that in a positive way.