Relationships

 

Life moves at the speed of relationships. I am not sure where I first heard that statement, but it resonated with me immediately. Think about the relationships in our lives…

• God
• Spouse and significant others
• Children
• Parents and siblings
• Close friends and confidants
• Church groups
• Mentors and mentees
• Business partners
• Employees and co-workers
• Clients and vendors

 

Relationships are valuable and important to us. I do not believe we are meant to do life alone. The people we surround ourselves with are critical to how we navigate life. Failed and broken relationships can be devastating. Strong and healthy relationships can be lifesaving. As vital as relationships are, they are seldom easy. They can be challenging and messy. They require work and attention. Relationships need to be valued, nurtured and protected.

Life moves at the speed of relationships. Are you investing enough in yours?

How Are Your Investments Doing?

No, I am not talking about your stock portfolio.  I am talking about your investment in other people!  One of the most important investments we make is in other humans.  We invest time, love and attention into people around us every day.  (If you are not positively investing in others you should be.)  The most valuable thing that we can give others is our time and our undivided attention.  As leaders it is our responsibility to invest in people.  We invest time with people who want to understand our careers.  Time should be dedicated to helping others avoid our mistakes.  We spend time mentoring.  Sharing the wisdom of our experiences is an investment in someone else.  Helping people through difficult personal or professional times is an investment in them.  Building meaningful and lasting relationships is a significant investment. 

We are meant to live in community.  We are designed to support others and be supported by others.  Be intentional about investing in people.  Make relationship investing a part of who you are. Trust me, you will see a return on your investment.

How are your investments doing?

Life

Heard a great speaker last week at a VEL Institute event.  If you have not heard of VEL, check them out.  Their stated mission is…  “Bringing Veterans, Entrepreneurs and Leaders together to create positive community action and foster valuable relationships.” 

The speaker was Dr. Todd Dewett.  What an energetic and thought provoking guy he is.  One focus of his talk was the challenge of breaking out of our routines and pre-disposed viewpoints.  I came away feeling like I probably needed to re-examine some things in my life that I have come to accept as normal.  He also addressed the power of positivity.  We have all heard this before, but he came at it from a different direction, the negativity.  Here are a couple of quotes from Dr. Todd Dewett for you to ponder this week…

“A life worth living is worth examining and taking risks on.”

“Understand the sticky power of negativity.  It sticks way easier and way longer than positivity.”

            Dr. Todd Dewett