On the other hand, since lots of restrictions relating to this prolonged pandemic are still in place (to different degrees, in different areas), I continue to choose the available technology, having our meeting on line.
Now, the topic of the evening (“relationships”)
is actually really vast, and I truly believe that in life it is extremely important to
know how to build healthy relationships, how to keep them and how to terminate
them if they become toxic.
During our gathering this time, I think we just barely scratched the
surface, but nonetheless, we addressed a number of significant aspects. Aside of that, participants were given ahead of time reading materials issued
by two big Universities, but beyond that they each brought along many personal
perspectives. It was really great to notice how easily my guests engaged so openly in conversation,
bringing at the dialogue table different standpoints relating to the subject of
the night.
Like
I always do, in my public briefing, I won’t get into very specific details, keeping
confidentiality in mind, but I will pencil below only several highlights, worth
considering, as well as several concepts extracted from classics:
-
Relationships cannot grow without proper (& effective) communication; if communication starts
to fade this would have a negative impact on your relationship/s
-
Sometimes you learn more about someone at the end of a relationship than at the
beginning (pay attention to details in order to avoid potential disappointments)
-
As we go through life, we understand that it is not important to have many
relationships (or very many friends), but it is more important to have true relationships
-
It helps to understand that the relationship you have with yourself is the most
important relationship in your life
- Choose your relationships wisely; being alone will never cause you as much
loneliness or headaches as having the wrong relationships
-
No relationship is ever a waste of your time; if it didn’t bring you what you
wanted, for sure it taught you what you don’t want
-
When a relationship is over, leave; don’t continue to water dead flower (keep toxic people far away)
- Great relationships are based on honesty and clarity, not on guessing or mind-reading / - Communicate respectfully, even when it is uncomfortable or uneasy
- Always remember that in a relationship, someone’s effort is a reflection of
their interest in you (if the effort is not equal you might need to reconsider)
-
Wise people believe that good relationships do not depend on how well
we understand someone, but it depends on how well we manage misunderstandings
-
A great relationship is about two important things: first, it is about finding out similarities, and secondly, it is about respecting differences
-
It is important to know well your entourage, so make sure everybody in your ‘boat’
is rowing and not drilling holes when you are not looking.
We
wrapped up the evening all agreeing that it is paramount to keep our
relationships positive, remembering that quality is way more
important than quantity.
