If you are ready to be more effective in you relationships, and to enjoy them more as well, then asking yourself the following questions is the place to start:
Have I accepted my limitations?
You have them, the only question is, are you being honest about that. You can’t relate to everyone. If you continue to ignore your limits, you will never deliberately choose how to best invest yourself relationally.
What are the most important relationships in my life?
Yes, some are more important than others. For instance, you are the only mom you daughter has. Is it possible that some relationships in your life are more time sensitive than others right now? Is your child graduating in 3 years? Is your uncle terminally ill? If you could only relate to four people on the planet who would they be? Make sure they get the majority of your time and attention.
Start with the end in mind.
Which will you want to have more by the time you are 80, a wife that feels loved and cared for or a boss that feels you were a great employee? How will you want your son to remember his childhood? When you have settled on what will be most important to you the future, translate that into action in the present.
Relationships aren’t easy, so you tend to avoid giving them concentrated attention and effort. Relationships are, however, the core of our life, and the time and deliberate attention you give them will pay off more than anything you do. I hope that this year will be the beginning of something incredible in your relational life!
Photo Courtesy of Death To Stock Photo