Review the following to help you evaluate and bring your “relationships” more in-line with your goals.
DEFINITION:
The environment of relationships is the interaction with the people around you. This includes your:
- Family – those that live under the same roof as you and can include your extended family – like your birth family, family of origin, adopted family, etc.
- Friends – this is both your inner circle as well as your general sphere of friends — those people who you connect with on some level
- Colleagues – those you work with – clients, vendors, co-workers, etc.
EVALUATE:
All: (Family, Friends, Colleagues)
- How are your relationships with these people?
- Is there anyone you are holding anger, a lack of forgiveness or resentment for? Families can be challenging. Often the deepest abuse and hurt happens within families and it can be the most difficult to understand and work through. Realize that forgiveness is as much about your own inner peace and freedom and the lack of forgiveness hurts you more than it hurts them.
- Consider boundaries that you need with people in your life to maintain healthy and productive relationships?
- What people are toxic vs. fillers in your life. Adjust your time to spend more time with those who fill and uplift and limit the time with those who are more toxic.
- What relationships are missing in your life? Do you find yourself isolated or alone? What relationships do you want to intentionally design to support your life and happiness?
- Consider the impact you have on others. If they were to describe you in 3 words, is that how you want to be described. Perhaps you have spent a lot of time complaining, being self-focused, etc. Reflect on how you are showing up with others in your life and make adjustments to how you WANT to show up.
- How are you adding value and joy to the people around you? Often we get busy with life and focus on our things and forget life is not about us. Consider how you can be a light in your relationships with others.
Summary:
Relationships are very important as human beings. We were created to be relational beings – whether you are introverted or extroverted. Relationships and the care of them is important. Often when people look back over their life, they don’t wish they had worked more, they wish they had spent more time with the people they care about most. When dad’s reflect on their relationships with their adult children, if there are regrets, it is usually because they worked too much and didn’t enjoy the years their children were young. Take time to invest and be in relationship with the people God has blessed you with and put into your life. Relationships are priceless – and an investment you will not regret.
