Photo/ Old People Holding Hands blog
Are you a people builder or a people basher?
Relationships can be extremely complicated, yet they are a part of every aspect of daily life – from leading a successful business to having an emotionally stable family. Thankfully, building and maintaining quality relationships entails only seven key principles.
1. Trust
All relationships are based on trust. To build trust, you must be trustworthy and remain consistent and dependable with everything you say and do. You should be the kind of person who is absolutely reliable in every situation.
2. Respect
Take time to purposely express your respect for the people around you. You will find that it makes them feel valuable and important. In addition, make sure you are a careful and attentive listener. When you listen carefully, and with total attention, you demonstrate the respect you have for a person’s uniqueness. This will greatly enhance the quality of your relationship.
3. Time
How much time you physically spend with another person is a critical and elemental factor in communicating well with another person. The value of a relationship can increase for both you and the other person depending on the amount of time that you invest in it.
4. Politeness
When you say “please” and “thank you” on a regular basis to the people in your life, you make them feel better about themselves. You raise their self-esteem, make them feel honored and important, and they feel good about what they are doing.
5. Caring
The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance. Stop criticizing, condemning or complaining to people or to others, and start thinking of yourself as a people builder rather than a people basher.
People builders acknowledge others when they are doing something right. So, always look for ways to make people feel more valued, respected, loved and appreciated.
7. Praise and appreciation
Remember, the three most powerful words in any relationship are the words “I love you.” Take the time to show and tell the most important people in your life that you love them, and do it in many different ways, and as often as possible. Never take for granted that you’re loved ones should “just know” you love them…tell them! Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.
When you express your appreciation to another person for something they do for you, they feel better about themselves, and they want to do more of it.
7. Cooperation
Be willing to share, contribute, and help each other while having a pleasant attitude. This is an important facet of lasting relationships.
One of the easiest, most inexpensive ways to build empowering relationships is by always greeting people with a smile. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.”
I say, “Smile! It increases your face value!”
Dr. Josefina Monasterio is a certified life coach, fitness expert, and nutritional counselor based in Vero Beach, Florida. She holds a PhD in Adult Personal Development from Nova University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University. Dr. Josefina is also a certified Yoga Therapist from the World Yoga Society of Calcutta, India, and host of Healthy Power TV’s “The Dr. Josefina Way.”