The Real Game of Life: “Developing Relationships”!
By: Willie Johnson – The Ambassador of Potentiality
Have you ever heard somebody say, “I am a self-made success?” The fact is that there’s no such thing. Sure, someone may have put in a lot of individual effort, but it just isn’t possible to become a success all by yourself. “News Flash” – You need people to be successful. Yes, winning in the game of life takes help from people – a lot of people. Personally, I know of no one who has ever achieved great success without first developing relationships.
If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain.
If you want ten of prosperity, grow trees.
If you want on hundred years of prosperity, grow people!
– Chinese Proverb
If you stop to think about it, isn’t life really all about relationships? I contend that everything we do involves people. Therefore, I must warn you that the art of developing winning relationships takes a great deal of work and understanding on our part. Why? Because people are different. Yes – we all have our own set of individual characteristics; and that’s what makes people so special. If we were all the same, some of us would not be necessary.
It’s not always what you think that matters, it’s what they think that matters. External circumstances and the environment people live in have a lot to do with their perspective. Therefore, I would submit to you:
- The key to effectively communicating with people is understanding how they think
- Your success is dependent on your ability to successfully communicate with the greatest number of people possible.
This can’t be accomplished if you are only thinking about what matters to you. [Note: I believe it was Zig Ziglar who once said “You can have anything in life that you want – as long as you help enough other people to get what they want.”]
Values determine the quality of a relationship. Rewarding relationships are built over time, and based on a foundation of values. Personal character values include trust, honesty, integrity, dependability, responsibility, and patience. I have found that “trust” and “honesty”, are the two values that people treasure most, in a relationship. I have also found that it is very hard to rebuild trust, once it is broken; and that we should never compromise our values just to satisfy toxic relationships.
Great relationships begin with a great attitude. Having a great attitude and a positive outlook on life will help attract other cheerful people – people you will want in your life. What you get out of a relationship begins with what you put into it; therefore, you will reap whatever you sow Yes – the quality of your relationships directly reflects who you are as a person. If you enter relationships expecting to get things just to make you feel good, you will have lousy relationships, and you will probably blame the other person. On the other hand, if you go into a relationship without expectation and are willing to give it all you can, you will experience the rewards and joy of a great relationship.