January is quickly going down to its last few days, and love month is just around the corner. Plus, Chinese New Year has already come and gone. The next couple of days are looking to be eventful and may get you on self-reflection mode, especially about your relationships.
Strengthening bonds and growing with people who always have your back is a lifelong goal. This 2023, here are a few relationship goals you may want to meet and keep meeting in any and all of your relationships.
Being OK With Not-so-Often Check-ins
“If they don’t check in on you, they don’t belong in your life.” While it may sound reasonable and even right at first glance, expecting people to naturally ask how you’re doing on a regular basis and deciding to cut them off when they don’t is a bit much.
More often than not, people get busy. Even those closest to you may have a lot on their plate at times, and thus, fail to ask how you’re doing. It’s not that they don’t care; sometimes, it’s just that they’re unavailable at the time. If it’s taking a longer time than usual to hear from them, maybe check in on them to see what’s up.
Asking for Help and Communicating Your Needs
Whether it’s where to get the best deals for pet food, how to manage a long day at work and when it’s best to put yourself out there after a major heartache, when you simply can’t figure some things out, asking for help is a must. And, it’s also a great way to grow your relationships. Letting others help you makes them feel needed and trusted. Plus, it reminds you that you don’t have to do it all on your own.
When seeking or offering help, make sure to discuss your needs clearly. You’d want to understand each other and stay on the same page. After all, there’s a thin line between being needed and being used. And, you and your loved one wouldn’t want to veer towards the latter.
Agreeing to Disagree
As you grow and relate more deeply with people in your life, you’ll find that you won’t always see eye to eye. While instances like discussing opposing stances in touchy topics such as political beliefs and religion can get heated, and later, awkward, it doesn’t have to end with cutting each other off. Ask questions. Hear each other out. Don’t insist on your points and never impose them on another. You may or may not end up agreeing in the end, but you may still walk away with your relationship intact.
Not Taking Things Personally
Getting criticisms especially at work may feel disheartening, but know that they’re not made nor meant to shoot you down. They just have to be said to point out aspects of your performance, nothing more, nothing less. Take them as points for improvement rather than personal attacks. Work on them. Keep them in mind and at a safe distance from your heart.
In any and all relationships, there’s always room for growth. And, it starts with you. Your first relationship goal is to work on how you relate to yourself and others. Meet this, and let everything else follow.