Pay the Man

Another reason our relationships fail is that we fail to invest time and attention.  A relationship is like an investment.  When we put money into a stock we expect we will receive a dividend.  In relationships it is time and attention that are the funding source.  When we take time and pay attention the relationship grows and we receive a benefit.  If we do not invest there is no possibility of reaping a dividend.   

(To be continued.)

You’ve lost that Lovin' Feeling

When I was a little kid growing up in the 60’s all of the other neighborhood children were much older than me.  They were all playing rock and roll on their radios and record players.  One of my favorite songs of that era was by the Righteous Brothers entitled “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”   Being casual with a relationship will definatly cause that “lovin feeling to wane.  To protect our relationships we need to remember that people are valuable and we should treat them with care.  We take care of our homes and our cars so why not our relationships?   Like Coach Walsh said, carelessness is always at the center of relationship problems.

(To be continued.)

Too Close for Comfort

We have all heard Aesop’s fable, “familiarity breeds contempt.”  I especially like the way French novelist George Sand puts it, “Admiration and familiarity are strangers.”  When we act in an over familiar manner in a relationship we fail to recognize the natural boundary lines that all people have.  When we become relationally presumptuous we violate the individual autonomy of those in our work, home and social lives.  We must resist our tendency to manipulate and control others.  These and other actions of over familiarity will set back our relationships and send people running for the hills for safety.

 

(To be continued.)