When it comes to relationships, you have to choose ME before WE… and that means that every relationship should help you create the life you really want for yourself. You should expect and demand that from your friendships and you should give that in return. If you have friendships that take more than they give, make you feel bad about yourself or create drama in your life, they have to go, and it's your responsibility to move them out. Nice has nothing to do with it. Love yourself enough to only have friendships with people who offer the same respect and love in return. If you need to end a friendship, yes, do it with compassion, but don't keep it going just because you don't want to hurt someone's feelings.

Good Breakup Rule #3:  Know who you want to call friend. It's a lot easier to end a friendship when you know the kind of people that you want to surround you. Your life is a direct reflection of the people in it, so be conscious and choosy about who you let in. You wouldn't date a guy or girl without knowing what you want in a partner, so treat your friendships the same way. Write a Friendship Mantra: one to two paragraphs that describe the people you want to call friend. Who are they? What's important to them? What kind of life are they living? What are their expectations of friends?

Good Breakup Rule #4:  Know your friendship expectations. Many of our friendship divorces could be avoided if we just knew what our real expectations were of our friends. Not all friendships are created equal. You have your inner circle, your good time gals and guys, and others who you share interests with. Know your expectations for each kind of friend and measure your friendships accordingly. Don't expect your good time guy to be there at 2 am to hear your sob story. Be clear on your expectations. Share them and listen. Adjusting your expectations might shift your entire friendship, or make it clear that it's time to move on.

This article appears courtesy of SingleEdition.com