It is easy to get stuck in the everydayness of life. We can get so busy living that important things can fall through the cracks!
When people come to the end of their lives, they don’t wish they had spent more time making money, they often talk about the regrets of family and friends.
Here are 7 keys that will help your relationships to bloom:
- Spend time with your friends and loved ones.
We need to intentionally set aside time in our schedule for them and put appointments into our diary. If you don’t do this, you may forget and months and even years can go by without seeing these people. The sad fact is that those relationships can dry up and wither away from neglect.
Many marriages fail for this reason. People are often too busy to spend enough time with each other and one or both partners can’t take the neglect. If you want your relationships to bloom, you must water them with quality time. How long would a rose garden be lush and beautiful if no one watered it for days?
- 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 behaviour, be sure to spend twice as much time appreciating their positive qualities than reprimanding their negative ones.
- 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 attitude is “I’m ALWAYS right,” that’s a poisonous plant that will spread and ruin your entire garden. Apologising and asking for forgiveness when we’ve done something wrong does not degrade us. Instead, it shows that we are growing up.
- 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 aggressive weeds of unforgiveness spoil your garden. Try not to crush tender relationship plants by being harsh and unforgiving.
- Learn to say, “thankyou”.
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.”
- 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.
- Go out of your way to help others in practical ways.
If a friend is in the hospital, go visit him. If a neighbour is going through a difficult financial time, bring groceries over to help tide him or her through the crisis.
What will happen in your relationships if start making these suggestions part of all your relationships?
