I have several friends who I’m proud to say that together we have an amazing friendship. I met them when I was still growing and trying to figure out who I was and they really guided me on the right path.

They’re the friends who are incredibly different from everyone else I’ve ever come across and most likely more so than those I will eventually meet as well.

The ones I can sit with at a coffee shop and just talk about philosophy or passion. The ones with the heavenly bond, match made in Heaven. The ones I can be as crazy as I want and they’d still be there to smile with me because they’re the ones who taught me how to be happy. Where would I be today without them?

Most have those special people in their lives who seem to bring the out the best in them. These types of people are near and dear to you and they make you want to commit 100% to your friendship, even those that are platonic and non-discriminatory of gender.

Maybe you’re looking for these friendships or seeking out more than the ones you already have.

Here are several ways to identify these amazing friendships so you can cherish them.

1. You are always learning from their friendship and vice-versa

You are learning from them in so many subtle ways that it’s mind blowing once you take a moment to step back and look. They improve you as a person, they give you valuable advice, and they provide honest feedback that makes you become the person you want to be. You also learn how to be yourself around them.

This relationship works both ways; the truly amazing friendship are two-sided in which you reciprocate and provide value to your friend. Just as they are your teacher, you are theirs.

2. You empathize on a whole different level

Empathy is very important and it is necessary to maintain a solid framework for a working relationship (even platonic ones.) However, in this special sort of relationship, it’s just not just empathy that you feel but there is a whole new level of emotional investment on your part.

You desperately wish for them to succeed in everything they do. It hurts you when they’re sad and you just want them to keep moving forward. It’s good to have these feelings for all of your friends and family, but this relationship is more. You invest in them without expecting anything in return.

3. You look to emulate them

Everything they do amazes you. It seems like they have this magnetic force among them when you are spending time together which just puts you in your most content mindset.

There are things they do or say, or perhaps even how they act that makes you wonder if it is possible for you to follow in their footsteps. You notice subtle features no one else does and run it through your head for whether or not it suits you because you want to be just like them.

4. You care more about their opinion than anyone else’s

Being sure not to completely idolize and only focus on this person, you still seek his or her insight first before consulting anyone else. If you’ve got their golden stamp of approval, you feel confident in your choices and will jump with both feet in.

You don’t doubt their advice and openly question it expecting a good explanation.

5. You are proud to be seen with them

Similar to dating the perfect physically attractive person, you are proud to walk around wherever with them. There is almost a social status attached to them in your mind and you want the world to see it. You aren’t ashamed of their presence and you’d gladly introduce them to a group of friends you already know, if you were ever to run into them by chance.

This almost ties in with wanting to emulate them because perhaps you find them to be well dressed, which you want to be perceived as being well put together too.

There are definitely people who have a certain charm about them that is only enhanced by the way they present themselves physically. Take no shame in admiration of their physical appearance, because they are just as proud to be seen with you as you are with them.

6. They raise you up as you are at your lowest

It is almost as if it is their power and their power alone to bring you up from the depths of dreadful despair. They know exactly how you work and can draw from their own memory of times when you’ve had it worse. Without missing a beat, they rush to your aid as soon as it is needed.

It’s as if they are the light at the end of a dark path that you want to reach for; however, they are already headed your way to pull you up. It’s as if they’re The Doctor and there’s the TARDIS materializing to take you away from your darkest fears.

7. You love them

Yes, even in the most platonic and non-romantically involved way, you love them with all your heart and you feel the love in return. For men, they call it “bromance”, as for other people, it is simply a loving friendship that gives and receives. It is as simple as that.

Hopefully after reading this, some of you may realize how fortunate you are if you have something like this.

As for those who have yet to experience such a joy, please use this as a guide to find those who are just waiting to better your life. Perhaps there is a friendship you are in that is just waiting to blossom into a beautiful dream. No shame in actively seeking an amazing friendship, the best kind of friendship.

Check out How to Be a Good Friend (And Signs to Avoid Being a Bad One)