A big part of living a more intentional and purpose-driven life is the relationships we have. We are social creatures and we need other people around us to feel happy and complete. That means creating purposeful and meaningful relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances.
While all relationships are important, the ones that will have the biggest impact on your own personal life are family and close friends. That’s where you should start. These are the people that mean the most to you and often the ones you spend a lot of your time with. While good work relationships are also important, they don’t have to be quite as deep and meaningful as personal relationship. As long as you communicate well with your coworkers and boss for example and you get along ok, you’re good to go. With your best friend, your spouse, or your grandma on the other hand, working on a more meaningful relationship can have a huge impact.
Be Intentional In Your Relationships
The first step in having more meaningful relationships is taking a look at where you’re at right now and then figuring out where you would like it to be. Do you want a more intimate relationship with your spouse? Do you want to be closer with your kids and have them open up to you? Do you want to have a more relaxed relationship with your book club friends? Once you know how you would like those relationships to be and look like you can work on being more purposeful and intentional in your interactions with those people.
Don’t Like Something? Change It
Most relationships aren’t perfect. Some are downright awful. While we can’t change people, we can change our relationship with them. Sometimes that means setting boundaries. Sometimes, that may even mean cutting people out of our lives most of the time though, it means working on the relationship and having open and honest conversations. Work with the other person to come up with something that works well for both of you. Compromise and put in the effort to improve the relationship the two of you have for the better.
Good Relationships Take Work
Last but not least, I want you to realize that a good relationship takes work. This is true or your marriage, your relationship with your kids, staying close to your best friend and any other close relationship you can think of. If you get lazy and start taking it for granted, it will wither and die. Don’t let that happen.
Instead, put in the work. Get up early in the morning to go for a run with your husband, spend the time to talk to your kids over dinner instead of popping down in front of the TV, and make the time to go hang out with your friends regularly. Be intentional about your relationships and do your part to make sure they stay meaningful and strong. Yes, it takes work, time, and effort, but it is well worth it.