Let's Talk About Relationships

Let’s Talk About Relationships

Do you know people who seem about three steps ahead of you in their business or career? Do you ever tell yourself that if you just worked a little harder, or sacrificed a little more, you might be able to catch up?

Success in the business world is often measured by skill, strategy, and hard work. But what if the true secret ingredient to achieving your goals lay beyond the boardroom? What if your personal relationships were as pivotal to your success as your business acumen? 

Consider how the connections you nurture in your personal life can be the game-changer in your professional journey, proving that sometimes, it's not just about what you know, but who stands beside you. And sometimes it’s even how you’re doing personally. If you drop the ball on prioritizing connections and your personal well-being, other areas of your life are going to drop as well.

High achievers often put personal relationships on the back burner, but healthy personal relationships contribute directly to your other successes. These connections increase happiness, provide emotional support, help you improve your mental and physical health, foster personal growth, and can lead to a deep contentment. Investing time and effort in nurturing these relationships is a key element to living a fulfilling and successful life. 

So which relationship is most important? You might answer, “My spouse!” or “My best friend!” And you’d be almost right. These relationships are essential to nurture and spend time on, but your relationship with yourself is actually even more influential on your success in higher areas of your life.

To create a healthy relationship with yourself, you have to take time to have an inner life. We all have an internal yearning for peace and well-being, but instead, we often push ourselves mentally and physically, and we become robotic, just going through the motions of life. We stay busy doing the things we believe (or have been conditioned to think) make us valuable, or “good,” and we feel productive. But are we confusing being busy with being productive? 

Are you really good at setting reasonable goals for your employees or team members? When they reach them, do you celebrate? What happens if they fall a little short (but still put in great effort)?  

Often we create unfair expectations for ourselves, then allow ourselves to feel like failures when we don’t meet them. Be as fair with yourself as you would with a good friend or family member who is trying to improve. We need to offer ourselves the same compassion and positive self-talk we’d give them. Seeking understanding and practicing forgiveness (both for ourselves and for others) can lead to more empathy and love for ourselves. It’s also important to take time for ourselves to practice meditation. Making space for the things that are going to help you be your best self will reinforce that you love and value yourself. It’s hard to have healthy relationships with other people if we can’t learn to love ourselves first.

Our other relationships are important, though. Do you have any friends or family who build you up just by being with them? Seek these people out; spend more time with them. When you surround yourself with positive, encouraging friends and family, they will bolster you. However, not everyone in our life meets these criteria. Some people in your life will drain you instead of filling your cup, and it may be best to limit these interactions when possible. Maybe for them, we’re the ones that build them up and help them be more positive, and there is value in that. But it’s also important to balance it out with lots of people who love and support in healthier ways. It’s okay (and even essential) to set healthy boundaries to protect yourself. 

Try this!

Make a goal to do three affirming, kind things for yourself this week. It might be as simple as taking a little time when you wake and when you go to bed to practice some positive self-talk, or you might go a step further and schedule a massage or try a new meditation technique. Bring more of whatever (or whoever) fills your cup into your life on a regular basis, and watch for positive improvements!

If your relationships could use some TLC but you’re not sure where to start, let’s get in touch!