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7
Keys To Better Relationships
By Patricia Wagner
Would you like to
enhance the quality of your life and increase
your personal happiness? If you answered
"yes," the information in this article
could change your life!
Isn't it easy to get stuck in the everydayness
of life? We can get so busy making a living and
getting ahead financially that the really
important things fall through the cracks!
That can happen to all of us. However, when
people come to the end of their lives, they
don't wish they had spent more time making
money. When all is said and done, we want our
family and friends to be with us then!
So let's try to focus on developing better
relationships instead of acquiring more things.
Think of your circle of family and friends as a
lovely garden to water and cultivate. The book
of Proverbs teaches this crucial truth: "A
man that has friends must show himself
friendly" (Proverbs 18:24).
Here are 7 keys that will help your
relationships to bloom:
1. Spend time with your friends and loved
ones.
Although this is obvious, we need to
intentionally set aside time in our schedules
for them no matter how busy we think we are. Put
appointments with friends and family into your
daytimer or palm pilot. If you don't do this,
you may forget and months and even years can go
by without seeing these special people. The sad
fact is that those relationships can dry up and
wither away from neglect.
Many marriages fail for just this reason. People
are often too busy to spend enough time with
each other and one or both of the partners can't
take the neglect. If you want your relationships
to bloom, you have to water them with quality
time. How long would a rose garden be lush and
beautiful if no one watered it for days without
end?
2. Genuinely appreciate the special people in
your life.
Tell them how much they mean to you. Mention
their good qualities and how special they are.
For example, if you need to correct your
children's behavior, be sure to spend twice as
much time appreciating their positive qualities
than reprimanding their negative ones.
3. Learn to say, "I was wrong. Please
forgive me."
This will do wonders for your relationships.
Humility is a beautiful quality in any person.
Someone who thinks he or she is always right can
be impossible to live with. If your habitual
attitute is "I'm ALWAYS right," that's
a poisonous plant that will spread and ruin your
entire garden. Apologizing and asking for
forgiveness when we've done something wrong does
not degrade us. Instead it shows that we are
growing up.
4. Be quick to forgive and don't hold
grudges.
Bury the past. Bitterness never helped anyone.
It only hurts the bitter person. Don't let the
agressive weeds of unforgiveness spoil your
garden. Try not to crush tender relationship
plants by being harsh and unforgiving.
5. Learn to say "thank you" a lot.
Everyone loves to be appreciated for what he or
she has done instead of being taken for granted.
You may be thrilled by the vibrant blossoms of
encouragement that will result from taking time
to say "thank you."
6. Listen more than you talk.
In a game of tennis it would be very strange for
one of the players to bounce the ball up and
down on his or her side instead of hitting the
ball back to the other player. The same could be
said for the game of ping pong. These games
teach a powerful lesson. If you are always
talking and other people don't have a chance to
get a word in edgewise, you won't be very
popular for long.
7. Go out of your way to help others in
practical ways.
If a friend is in the hospital, go visit him. If
a neighbor is going through a difficult
financial time, bring groceries over to help
tide him or her through the crisis.
If you follow these simple but powerful
suggestions for nurturing your relationships,
you yourself will also reap benefits in the form
of increased happiness, pep and vitality. That's
because our relationships are far more important
to our wellbeing than how much money we make or
how well we're doing climbing the corporate
ladder.
Why not take a personal inventory of your life
today? Put these suggestions into practice and
become more effective in cultivating your
special relationships.
Happy gardening!
About The Author
Patricia Wagner offers informative tips on
living a more energetic lifestyle at http://www.a-to-z-wellness.com.
She is also an artist and you can view her
original paintings at http://www.artbywagner.com.
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