WIIFM?!

"The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend."  ~Henry David Thoreau

When did friendship have conditions placed upon it?  It's silly to me that because of who one may or may not associate with, or one's social status or upbringing...a picture album on Facebook, or whether or not someone is no longer the "fun single one" in the group should put conditions on a friendship.  This seems a little....juvenile to me.  There are friendships I've given up on, and friendships I could have put more effort into....but the way I see it, true friends can pick up after years, right where they left off.

Given that the majority of my practical work experience is in sales, I'm all too familiar with the acronym WIIFM---What's In It For Me?  Unfortunately, there are people in our lives who seem to subscribe to this theory on a daily basis.  I know that I had a blog entry about this last week, but it seems like these "friends" are popping up a little more frequently.  I'm thinking that this book may be added to my "Must Read" list: 

http://www.amazon.com/Friend-Frenemy-Guide-Friends-Need/dp/0061562033/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274808376&sr=1-1

I know that there are friends with whom I need to do a better job, and I'm going to challenge myself to become a better friend and not a WIIFM type of friend, either!  I challenge you to do the same.

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be." ~Douglas Pagels