Show Up and Create Meaningful Relationships

Show Up to Go Up

Ep 12: Show Up and Create Meaningful Relationships

Life is all about the relationships that you build and the people you do life with. The quality of your life is parallel to the quality of your relationships.

In Zach’s interview he talked a lot about the importance of relationships. He even said that he learned early on that life is all about people. I wish I had! The sooner you realize this the better off you’ll be. For the longest time I used to do everything on my own. After my parents got divorced my whole world changed and I was forced to be independent and self sufficient because I couldn’t rely on my parents the way I had before. From the time I was 15 and on I figured things out on my own but was always too afraid to ask for help because I didn’t want to inconvenience people. Being so independent was a blessing and a curse. I’ll tell you why it was a curse...you can only get so far and do so much on your own. And because I was doing all these things on my own and didn’t ask for help, I was less helpful to others and more judgmental. I would think, “well I did that on my own so why can't they?” And then I’d judge them as weak for needing help. Boy did I have it wrong! Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. We are so much better together and we can do so much more. A few years ago I had to humble myself and ask for help and it taught me so much. It taught me that a.) people want to help b.)asking for help creates a dependence on other people which creates deeper relationships with people and c.) it made me want to be more helpful because I was so grateful to people helping me. So, if you’re not asking for help, try it! You won't believe how powerful it is and how generous people are. We are better together and relationships really are the most important thing in life. If you are feeling like your relationships are struggling or you don't have any quality relationships that’s okay! You can easily do one of two things to change that. You can cultivate old relationships OR create new ones. I used to put limits on how my relationships were supposed to be and if I hadn’t reached out to a friend in a year I thought, “well I guess that friendship is over and I missed the boat on that.” No! You can reach out and build that relationship back up at any time! Life happens. There are seasons in your life where your relationships may suffer but that doesn’t mean they’re dead or gone. Show people that matter to you that they’re important. 

 

One thing I like to do is I make a point to send my friends birthday cards or cards of encouragement. Since I’ve moved around a couple times I have friends all over the country and I can’t always be there for them when I want to and it’s just so nice to get a card in the mail from someone. And it’s so easy to do so why not make just a little more effort to show people you care?

 

If you’re thinking that you don’t have any relationships worth building then that’s okay too because there are so many people out in the world. Whatever town you’re in you can easily find people to build a relationship with - no excuses. OR you can build relationships online! Hello quarantine! Just because we're in quarantine doesn't mean you have to go through life alone. Connect with people online. Join Facebook groups that have like minded people and start getting to know people. I used to only want to build relationships with people who are similar to me so I would join meetups and find people who had similar hobbies and that was great - totally good option to find friends. But lately I’ve realized I can learn sooo much from people who are different from me so I’m just more open in general to starting conversations with people whether it’s at work or at Target. We all want the same things right? Love, validation, safety and protection so even if someone looks different that you whether it’s sex, race, or age chances are you can still relate to and connect with them in some way and if not, you can definitely learn a new perspective so it’s a win win. There are lots of ways to get better relationships in your life.  Open yourself up to meeting new people. If you want better relationships, focus on what you can do or give to be a better friend or person. Be open and be interested in others. You never know where those relationships will take you.