REAL ADVICE FOR REAL RELATIONSHIPS
January 27, 2021
Any kind of relationship is a two-way street. It takes both people to be mindful in the relationship for it to be successful. If you are worried that you haven’t been pulling your weight in your relationships or are looking to be a better friend or partner then you’ve come to the right place.
LISTENING
Listening is a vital skill that everyone needs to work on. When you are having a conversation with someone, make sure your attention goes to them. When we focus on or think about what we want to say instead of listening to others, we often create misunderstandings. If they are speaking to you, they deserve your attention. You don’t need to give them advice, you just need to show them that you are listening and that you care.
DETAILS
By details, I mean remember their birthday, their interests, their family. It isn’t fair to them to have to retell you basic information about them every time you talk. Yes – none of us have perfect memories, and it’s okay to forget some things that people tell you. However, if you are closer to someone you should be even more mindful when listening to them and maybe jot down things like their birthday somewhere if you tend to forget!
BE PUNCTUAL
If you have plans with someone, do your best to be there on time. You can’t control traffic, so try to leave with a buffer period just in case. Being punctual isn’t just polite, but in a lot of cases necessary. If you arrive at your job late they may fire you. It’s obviously not the same scenario with an event with a friend, but being punctual in any case is respectful and good practice of habit when it becomes a requirement for certain things.
You are not in any way a bad friend or a bad partner if you aren’t great at these things. They are just skills we can all benefit from practicing. If you aren’t happy with who you have been in your relationships, working on improving these three skills is a great start! We can all be better!
