Photos by 

@bluestaar

//Makeup by

@xosophie_beauty

I wrote a

post

last year about

the importance of keeping in touch with your college best friends

.  This follows the same concept, but I wanted to do another on the importance of true,

real

 friends in your 20s.

Also, how beautiful is my friend

Jade

?  We seriously had the best time staging these shots and getting every individual hair in place.  Not to mention how dang hard it is to not smile and be a dork when it's time to get serious.

I can count my good friends on one (maybe two) hands.  There's value in networking and meeting people everywhere you go, but there is greater value in keeping those who you can trust, rely on, and believe in close to you.

As we grow, we discover that many people who we deemed a friend, or people who played a role in our life, are no longer a good fit.  When you realize that a person is no longer a good fit, let them go.  Stop trying to hold on to the past -- Instead, make the best decision for the now.

With growth and development also comes competition and jealousy.  A true friend will

never

 be threatened by your success or aspirations.  They should encourage your goals, clap when you win, and should feel proud to watch you succeed.  We should be inspired by our friends' successes.

Hell, a good friend should be hyping you up while you are succeeding!  We don't have time for breeding jealousy in true friendship.  Be there for one another during the wins and the losses -- They're equally as important.

There's room for us all to win.

What's the one thing you've learned about the value of friendship in your 20s?