Month: November 2016

Day 3 – Relationship Challenge (Appreciation)

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Today is day three of the Relationship Challenge. I hope that you had a chance to use encouragement  and kindness over the last couple of days to try and lift someone up and motivate them in a positive manner. You will find out when going through these exercises that the little things mean more than you really think in most relationships and friendships. Continue to work on the past days exercises and progress forward and continue to experience the difference they make in your own life.

There are times in life when individuals do little things to help others out and it is not really recognized or acknowledged by others. This tends to be interpreted by that individual over time that they are not making a difference or that the other person doesn’t really care about what they do. This can be in a job, friendship, relationship or about any situation that you find yourself in. For example, a manager that lifts up their employees and lets them know that they are valued, will typically get a different response from employees than one that does not take that approach. This leads into todays exercise of appreciation.

Todays challenge is to participate in at least one act of appreciation. If someone does something for you and they know that you appreciate it, it will be taken in a more positive manner and will result in them continuing to assist you or help you. When appreciation is not given, it usually doesn’t take to long before the person helping out feels that they are doing it for no apparent reason and it slowly goes by the way side. I have seen this happen in many relationships.

When people get together, they are real excited to thank the other person or let them know that they liked and appreciated what the other person did for them. It doesn’t take long for someone to maybe just not continue to recognize it or to assume that the other person just ‘knows’ that they are appreciated. This is a downward spiral trap that you want to avoid. If someone does something for you, it doesn’t take much energy to acknowledge it with some sort of appreciation. This will keep their spirits high and let them know that you are thankful for them. So make it a point today to let others know that you appreciate what they do for you and see the difference that it makes in your own eyes.

Day 2 – Relationship Challenge (Kindness)

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Today is day two of the Relationship Challenge. I hope that you had a chance to use encouragement yesterday to try and lift someone up and motivate them in a positive manner. The point that I want to get across in several of these exercises is that sometimes the little things can make all the difference in the world. If you work on these little things and they become natural instinct for you, they can make a substantial difference in any and all of your relationships. As we go forward, don’t forget the exercises from the past days, but incorporate them also.

Everyone in society is in a rush to get somewhere, get something done or accomplish something. This usually results in less time and more stress then there was years ago. There are many times that individuals can have a short temper and not treat others as they would want to be treated themselves. This leads into todays exercise of kindness. There are many times that it doesn’t take any more energy or time to be kind to someone compared to treating them poorly. It does require some self control and thinking to initiate a different response than you may be use to though.

Todays challenge is to participate in at least one act of kindness for someone. This could be as simple as helping someone with something, getting something for them, appreciating them for something they have done or about anything else that they could perceive as a kind gesture. The key is to do it because you want to and it is on your heart to do it, not because you feel obligated to do it. If you work on this it will have an impact on others and therefor over time, will impact you.

Day 1 – Relationship Challenge (Encouragement)

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Today is the start of the Relationship Challenge. The one thing to keep in mind while going through this is that when you think positive, positive things happen. If you go about thinking negative, you can always find negative things to dwell on. This can pertain to all aspects of your life, not just relationships. People usually relate positive to encouraging.

Through my observations and talking with couples and people in general, I have come to the conclusion that we are leaning towards a self absorbed society and everyone is worried about themselves with sometimes little or no thought for others. So this leads us into Day 1 of the Relationship Challenge. Today’s challenge is to find something to encourage someone with. If they have done something right, then encourage them. If they have a positive characteristic that you admire, encourage them. If they need some motivation to work towards a goal or need to get something done, encourage them.

This needs to be approached in a loving manor and with the intent of getting nothing in return. The object is to work on lifting someone else up today. Everyone needs encouragement. We are so quick to judge and be demeaning to others sometimes, but how quick are we to actually jump in and encourage them?

Relationship Challenge!

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sunsetcoupleTake part in a Relationship Challenge and watch your relationship progress and transform over the entire month. Starting on November 1, there will be a new post everyday for you to read and learn from. This will involve an act of kindness or an area for you to focus on for that day. Sometimes it is the small things in life that mean the most. These small things can end up being neglected over time or may not have actually been acquired or picked up on in the first place. It will start out simple and slowly progress. It is designed to help change an individuals way of thinking and shine light on those small items that can make any relationship amazing or if neglected, make it horrific.

Everyone is involved in relationships of some sort. It could be a simple friendship, parent / child relationship, work relationships or the one that we all think of, the romantic relationship. This could help you out with any and all of the relationships that you have. It will help set the tone and help get you in the right mindset and thinking about the things that really make any relationship great. Relationships are like anything, the more you put into them, the more that you can get out of them. The question I have for you though is, how much are you willing to put into them?

The fantastic news is that you can do this with very little time and money. Just take a few minutes to read the post in the morning and then work on what that post focuses on for that day. The challenge is to keep expanding on it every day and not instantly forget and neglect what you learned the day prior. So it is time to get excited and look forward to being the best that you can be.