Relationships are so fundamental in our human life…yet they can be so complex and difficult to understand.
Whether it is with families and friends; or business associates and colleagues; or romantic relationships; or even with strangers we come across in our daily lives, every thought we have and every act we perform is connected to relationships.
- Families are related to one another by relationships, one person can play many different roles in a family…a father; a son; a brother; a brother -in-law; and so on.
- Many businesses are conducted based on relationships, one would want to do business with people whom they trust…in some Asian cultures like China, having relationships is a critical success factor.
- Many favours or help are extended through relationships, strangers are connected via mutual friends…a new acquaintance is formed.
- Many new relationships are formed each day, especially when there is a change of environment…changing jobs and knowing new colleagues, changing school and knowing new classmates, a new romantic relationship, and so on.
Our inner thoughts, actions and reactions are very much influenced by the depth of these relationships and the actions of others. Some we would be more courteous and might not even show our true self, some we would be more critical of others’ faults due to familiarity and expectations.
Building Good Relationships
So if relationships are so pivotal to one’s life, how does one build good relationships to attain success, peace and happiness ? I find the following helpful in my practise:
- Start with the mindset.. All that you do, do them for the sake of bringing happiness to others and yourself. This can help remove friction between you and others.
- Learn to see the good points in others and overlook their faults…You will learn to recognise your own faults and realise how difficult it is to change yourself. This can motivate you to put in effort to accept others for who they are.
- Be genuine and humble…You learn to see others what you should see in yourself and will extend help spontaneously to others. This can attract and deepen relationships.
- Give and take…A balanced approach seems logical for a healthy relationship but it is not easy to find this balance…when in doubt, err on the side of leaning more towards giving, be it time; care; love or things. This will be appreciated and be reciprocated over time.
There are also many other well known practices for building solid relationships, such as honest communications, building trust and respect…and these are absolutely important.
My practice has been geared towards learning to see others like how we should see ourselves, then we will be gentle with them just as we wish to be gentle with ourselves. When those around us can enjoy peace and happiness, then we will be able to experience the same peace and happiness within ourselves…to me, this is the true essence of living in a good relationship and I am still working on it…
Lyn 🌻😊
Good article to remind us how important relationships are to our well being ….. happy relationships need Love to nurture and strength them further. …. unhappy relationships need Love to repair and build again. Thank you Lyn for the reminder….
Absolutely agree Mark, love will conquer all challenges to help build and strengthen a happy relationship ❤️..Thank you so much for sharing!
Trust and respect are fundamentals to any good and healthy relationship. How to build and maintain a good relationship seems straight forward, but is complex and difficult to execute. Once there is a crack in a relationship, it is difficult,and though not impossible, it will take alot of time to rebuild.
This is so true… energy takes to repair a crack is so much more than maintenance… every good relationship takes effort, love and commitment to stay strong and healthy. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
Hi Lyn good article. thank u for creating awareness and highlighting many good relationships practices. I’ve learnt we just can’t focus on ourselves, need to connect and build better relationship with others to feel happier and healthier. If not, we will feel anxious, depressed and lonely.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and so happy that you find my article useful.
Lyn,
Thanks for another thought challenging article. Respect is very important to strengthen and prolong a happy relationship. Springxx
Indeed respect is so foundational to a happy relationship ! Thank you so much Spring for sharing your thoughts ❤️..
Hi Lyn,
Indeed happy relationship uplifts energy, unhappy relationship depletes energy. Takes conscious effort to uphold, invest and nurture good relationships to thrive and blossom. Thank u for the great reminder.
Very good points, thank you so much for sharing your insights and thoughts!
Dear Lyn
Your article reminded me of one of my teachings to my daughters. When they were young and had their first disagreements with their friends, they would come to me and expressed their unhappiness. After listening to their stories, I responded with : Have you put yourself in the shoes of your friends to have a better understanding of their side of the story? Even till today, my daughters have been using this as their mantra and I’m glad that this builds the strong foundation of happy relationships for them and of course for myself
Cheers
Judy
Hi Judy, what a great foundation you have given your daughters, well done ! I really appreciate you sharing this personal story, excellent example and really bring home the point ! Thank you so much ❤️