Up until a few years ago I've had a pretty solid/close group of friends.
Basically from that point I realized nobody will have your back unconditionally like family will. My skills and my family are all I really need.
It's funny, but Tyrese actually had a stream about 10 years ago where he pointed out that your friends probably stress you out more than you realize and that you really need to keep your distance or cut them entirely. That you're basically signing up to put up with a bunch of mentally-taxing BS when you meet up with them. Dude wasn't lying.
Even applies to friends you consider A1 or everyone considers "good people".
Some people literally have friends to have friends but it's hurting them more than contributing to them.
No matter how you feel about him, I applied this advice for nearly the last 10 years and. it's paid off tremendously.
If you really take some extra time to analyze things about your friends you may be surprised how much they're brining you down while boosting themselves up. At the end of the day, a lot of people not going to have much to show for after their friendships because friends were basically in it for themselves.
If I took away all the time I spent with my friends and focused on myself insteadthat was the realization for me.
First I stopped going out one weekend so I can learn to code, then did it another weekend, then another, etc. Eventually friends stopped calling and I really got to focusing.
Years later: BSCS, great job in tech, about to start a another degree is STEM, etc.
Meanwhile, while my friends aren't doing bad, they never leveled up. I catch up with them every now-and-then and it ain't the same because I'm "out the loop" but I'm much better off for it. Hearing about everything, I'm glad I chose the route I did.
If they only hit you up on weekends to go out they wack, I talk to some of my boys everyday or every other day.
Some once a month cause they got family
Others maybe once a year and that’s because they live over seas

that was the realization for me.

No wonder those boy lovers crucified your ass and ya dad is a deadbeat and ya mama Mary a whore passing off a virgin birth to a good and honest man
