05 Apr More on happiness and relationships
…and I just discovered, in my happiness archives, another article by Lou on relationships which as I noted in my previous blog posting is a vitally important component of happiness and wellbeing.
So again, it brings me great happiness (and I hope it adds to your happiness) to bring you another short article on the component of happiness we, at The Happiness Institute, often refer to as “others”…
Winner’s Circle Network with Lou Tice – 1/15/07 – “Relationships”
What makes a good relationship work? What makes a good relationship turn bad and fall apart? Let’s talk about what it takes to build solid relationships.
Most people would never consider jumping off a cliff into the sea without some expertise in swimming, but almost all of us jump into relationships without a clue about how to make them work.
We’ve never given much thought to what a really good relationship needs, or about what skills the people in the relationship should have, if they really want to get the most out of it. Nevertheless, we seem to expect some version of happily-ever-after to follow, and when it doesn’t, we’re often surprised and disillusioned.
But if we want strong, loving relationships, we need strong and open communication skills, demonstrations of affection that are genuine and understood, and a great deal of patience. We need honesty, acceptance and dependability. And how about compassion, forgiveness and freedom, and the ability to successfully negotiate conflicts?
Building and maintaining a relationship requires a great deal of skill and lots of energy. However, most people assume that their relationships will just take care of themselves.
Now, if a business owner assumed that, no one would be surprised when the business went bankrupt. Don’t your relationships deserve at least the care you would put into your business? Think about it.
Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute
www.thepacificinstitute.com