Guide To Building Strong Personal Relationships
Creating an extraordinary life Though The Power of relationships.
What makes a good life? Many might say it is the achievement of professional goals, living in an ideal city, or possessing material possessions. However, creating an extraordinary life is not about working long hours or accumulating wealth – it is about building strong personal relationships. “The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.” Humans are social beings, and working in pairs and groups is part of our DNA. Relationships provide us with the support we need to thrive, and they can also offer opportunities to grow.
Understanding Personal Relationships
Personal relationships are connections that bind our lives together. The definition of a personal relationship may vary based on context. Coworkers may bond through shared experiences, while friends bond over shared interests, and families are linked through emotional ties. An intimate relationship with a significant other is also based on emotional connections, but it goes much deeper. Words like “soulmate” and “kindred spirit” are often used to describe these personal relationships, indicating a profound connection. Our personal relationship definitions are constantly evolving, and we can create new relationships that benefit us while leaving behind those that do not.
It is essential to choose relationships carefully, according to Dunbar’s number. Humans can only maintain close personal relationships with around 150 people, but we can recognize up to 1,500 individuals. Strong relationships require raising standards and using the law of attraction to attract positivity while eliminating negativity.
Creating Extraordinary Personal Relationships
Personal relationships are vital to a fulfilling life. Friendships provide emotional support and enjoyable experiences. Love offers connection and companionship. Business relationships provide leverage and opportunities. Taking action can make all these relationships extraordinary.
Maintaining Family Relationships
Family is often taken for granted, and we assume they will always be there. However, like friendships and intimate relationships, family relationships require nurturing. Spend quality time with your family, but it is not enough to be physically present; you must be emotionally present. Listen actively and learn about their lives. Be there for them.
Parental relationships are especially crucial. Children come into the world like sponges, and how we raise them shapes their worldview in subtle ways. As a parent, you have the power to instill values and skills that will last a lifetime. Strive to understand your children’s true nature and create authentic relationships. Skip the superficial questions and ask deeper ones. Share details about your day. Building a beautiful personal relationship with your children takes time and effort, but it is worth it.
Enriching Friendships
We all know that friends are the family we choose, and our personal relationships with them can be some of the most rewarding aspects of our lives. Friends understand us on a different level than anyone else can, seeing us as individuals instead of roles like “mom” or “boss”. They provide invaluable support, advice, and perspective that we can’t find anywhere else. However, like any relationship, friendships require care and nurturing to thrive.
Entrepreneur, speaker, and influencer Jenna Kutcher shared how she strengthens her personal relationships. Every day, she sends three voice texts to people who are on her mind. More often than not, her message of encouragement arrives at a time when they really needed it. These small acts of kindness not only deepen personal relationships but also help you grow as a person.
Deepening Intimate Connections
There’s no personal relationship more intimate than the one we share with our partner, and it can bring us the greatest joy or the greatest pain. To deepen the bond, we need to understand and practice the Five Disciplines of Love, with the most crucial one being vulnerability. Although it may be challenging, opening up and being honest about our true selves is the first step towards a deep and meaningful personal relationship.
Honesty is another vital discipline of love. We must be truthful not only with our partner but also with ourselves. We need to examine our thoughts and emotions, discover the root cause of them, and accept and love our authentic selves. Only then can we share ourselves fully with another person. Encouraging our partner to be honest with us and offering understanding in return can help us strengthen our relationship in ways we never imagined.
Utilizing Your Network
Our networks have never been larger, with social media allowing us to keep in touch with hundreds or even thousands of friends, video chatting bridging the distance, and texting providing a quick and easy way to connect. However, in the age of technology, we need to remember Dunbar’s number and network wisely.
Podcaster and radio personality Jordan Harbinger shared with Tony Robbins that we should minimize contact with energy vampires who drain our energy and instead focus on building rapport with the right connections. By using Facebook Messenger to stay in touch with our network, we can create stronger one-on-one relationships than just liking a picture. Before long, we’ll have a powerful network to leverage and help us succeed in life.
Ultimately, personal relationships are what sustain and drive us, and they may very well be the essence of life itself. While any connection we have with another person is a personal relationship, the depth and care we put into them determine how enriching and fulfilling they can be.
