Chapter Two: Relationships
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One of the most meaningful things we can do is have relationships, and the cornerstone of all relationships is good communication. Unfortunately, we’re not born with the innate ability to interact well with other people or communicate effectively. Instead, we’re taught by our environment (in our families, in school, etc.), learning by living through experiences. Consequently, without a structured curriculum and standards for what we.. Read More
Chapter Two: Relationships
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One of the most meaningful things we can do is have relationships, and the cornerstone of all relationships is good communication. Unfortunately, we’re not born with the innate ability to interact well with other people or communicate effectively. Instead, we’re taught by our environment (in our families, in school, etc.), learning by living through experiences. Consequently, without a structured curriculum and standards for what we are supposed to learn, we build relationships and learn to communicate through trial by fire.
Some people wind up thriving and easily build healthy relationships. Others struggle to even know what they want as far as relationships go and then struggle even more to maintain them. They have difficulty working through conflict, understanding themselves and the people they have in their lives, and managing their emotions.
Should you have trouble with your relationships or need some help being a better communicator, then the following tools can be of assistance. They are all designed to help you interact better with other people and with yourself. Whether in situations with romantic partners, family members, or virtual strangers (e.g., at a new job or a dinner party where you don’t know anyone), these tools provide ways to connect, interact, and avoid and resolve conflicts. They help you understand yourself and why you are expressing yourself the way you habitually do, and they assist you in gaining clarity around the motivations and needs of others.
Sometimes the best form of communication is silence—whether in the form of listening with intention or in the form of giving yourself and another person some emotional space to process events or arguments. There are tools here to help make those softer modes of communication effective and productive. Equally, there are tools to facilitate better verbal or written expressions.
Finally, you will find tools in this section that deal more with the nuances of relationships. They provide insight into figuring out the kinds of relationships you want as well as methods for improving the relationships you’re already in.
The Pillar tool for this chapter is Nonviolent Communication, which is where we’ll begin our list.
Chapter Two: Relationships
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One of the most meaningful things we can do is have relationships, and the cornerstone of all relationships is good communication. Unfortunately, we’re not born with the innate ability to interact well with other people or communicate effectively. Instead, we’re taught by our environment (in our families, in school, etc.), learning by living through experiences. Consequently, without a structured curriculum and standards for what we.. Read More
Chapter Two: Relationships
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One of the most meaningful things we can do is have relationships, and the cornerstone of all relationships is good communication. Unfortunately, we’re not born with the innate ability to interact well with other people or communicate effectively. Instead, we’re taught by our environment (in our families, in school, etc.), learning by living through experiences. Consequently, without a structured curriculum and standards for what we are supposed to learn, we build relationships and learn to communicate through trial by fire.
Some people wind up thriving and easily build healthy relationships. Others struggle to even know what they want as far as relationships go and then struggle even more to maintain them. They have difficulty working through conflict, understanding themselves and the people they have in their lives, and managing their emotions.
Should you have trouble with your relationships or need some help being a better communicator, then the following tools can be of assistance. They are all designed to help you interact better with other people and with yourself. Whether in situations with romantic partners, family members, or virtual strangers (e.g., at a new job or a dinner party where you don’t know anyone), these tools provide ways to connect, interact, and avoid and resolve conflicts. They help you understand yourself and why you are expressing yourself the way you habitually do, and they assist you in gaining clarity around the motivations and needs of others.
Sometimes the best form of communication is silence—whether in the form of listening with intention or in the form of giving yourself and another person some emotional space to process events or arguments. There are tools here to help make those softer modes of communication effective and productive. Equally, there are tools to facilitate better verbal or written expressions.
Finally, you will find tools in this section that deal more with the nuances of relationships. They provide insight into figuring out the kinds of relationships you want as well as methods for improving the relationships you’re already in.
The Pillar tool for this chapter is Nonviolent Communication, which is where we’ll begin our list.
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