Children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardor for their curiosity their intolerance of shams the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.
Success always necessitates a degree of ruthlessness. Given the choice of friendship or success I'd probably choose success.
What I've learned from different designers is that it's key to be true to who you are and your vision. That's always been my line of thinking. Working through the whole design process I don't want to create something I wouldn't be proud to wear.