Toss 'em out

...like a used tissue.
Good friends will lift you up, like the wind beneath a wing. But bad friends can be like uranium, slowly killing you with radiation (unfortunately not the type that will make you all swole and green).
It's no secret that good friends are hard to come by. I have had my share of good friends and bad ones. Throughout my life I have made allies and enemies, made friends with enemies, and made enemies with allies. Relationships can be fickle. There are a few ways of knowing the difference between a good friend and a bad one. I'll cover the two I believe are most important.

• 50/50 Give and Take

• Is the friendship making you better

 Two way street
Friendship is a two way street. One person can't be putting in all the effort. Yeah I know it sounds like a monogamous relationship, but that's pretty much what a good friendship is (except you get to see other people, so maybe it's more like polygamy). We've all had that friend who mooches off the rest, you stop a local food joint to get a quick bite and Mr. I never have cash is already asking you to buy him something before you even put the car in park. Now I am not discouraging buying your friends food, maybe you buy this time and next time he's covering the bill (give & take). But this guy asks all the time, he has a job but somehow he never has money. You don't want to let him starve, but at the same time you need to eat too, shoot you got bills to pay as well. Good friends will not put you in this conundrum.
Of course it doesn't just pertain to money. Time is just as valuable an asset. Have you ever had that friend that will only hangout on his terms, never comes out when you ask but you always do when the roles are reversed. Inviting them out is a way of showing them they are important to you and you want to make time, well stop. I learned along time ago to give up trying to make time for friends like these. Switch the roles around, stop asking them to hangout, stop wasting time on someone that doesn't want to spend it with you. You have nothing to gain from a friend like this, only time lost.
You're becoming mighty!... at least you should be
 Late middle school early high school I had a group of "friends" who I hung out with regularly, most of my memories I recall from this friendship involve them verbally putting me down. I never truly felt like a part of the group, but that didn't stop 14 year old me from trying (what a dumb ass). I look back and realize I gained nothing from it, sure there were a few good times, but passed all that it was just a waste of time.
It wasn't until I got into fitness that I started surrounding myself with more like minded people who pushed me to better myself, not just in the gym, and I push them back. That is a huge aspect that I love about the fitness community, there is support from fellow gym rats to become a better version of yourself (shout out to Ulysses, Cody, Tony, Paul, oh hell even Manny).
Toss 'em out like a used tissue
If your friends aren't meeting the qualifications, both examples from this article or any of your own, do not hesitate to cut them from your life if/when you see fit. Cut them out like a tumor, or a leech, or like one of those slugs from that movie The Faculty, you know the ones that burrow under people's skin, then take over their minds and control their every move. But I digress, the point you should get from this post is that the people you hangout with really do affect you, negatively and positively. Whether or not your standards of a good friend are the same as mine be willing to remove unnecessary people from your life. Filter out the bad and hold on to the good. Surrounding yourself with good, positive people will take you far, but surrounding yourself with bad, negative people will hold you back.