LOYALTY, HONESTY & RELIABILITY

I'm often asked what really matters when figuring out who your friends really are, and I've learned long ago that there are three measures of friendship: loyalty, honesty and reliability.

Sounds simple, doesn't? But the bottom line is that truly loyal, honest and reliable people are harder to find that water in the desert. And when you find them, you can only hope that success does not erode the very characteristics that drew you them in the first place.

Why is loyalty the key? Because, simply put, if someone is disloyal, you can never trust him or her. If they cannot be trusted, their honesty is always called into question. And if that person's honesty is uncertain, then at best, that person is unreliable.

It works across the boards, and if you apply this to the people you meet and get to know, you will find that life's challenges are simplified.