Do you tend to give up on people too early? Or do you fight to keep important connections healthy? It’s a hard thing to do to restore lost connections, but it can be a choice totally worth making. Here are 3 reasons to fight for healthy connections.
#1: Your Healthy Self-Image Thrives on Connection
Even though we do need to let go of unhealthy connections, it can be just as unhealthy to give up on the one’s we need to figure out. What if one of the people you tend to give up on too soon is yourself? No Bueno! Your relationship with yourself has to be good if you want any other relationships to be good. So restoring lost connections is an important self-image building choice.
Know your inner design and you’ll know the framework upon which one of your most important connections (your self-image) is built. Consider this:
- SPs — designed to make the right impact on the world around them, cannot see themselves in positive terms without a connection. Positively impacting people is what they want to do every day.
- SJs have a strong need for connection because they measure their success in terms of how responsible, helpful, and dependable they are. You can’t be any of those without strong social connections.
- NTs? They are about the business of finding new and better ways to achieve the important goals we all have. How will they know they’ve discovered a better way without the feedback from their relationships?
- And NFs…well, authentic, connected relationships are essential to their personal success in life. It’s their influence and value to people that matters to them most.
If you’ve lost connection with yourself, you can’t really expect any other relationships to thrive. Here’s a quick and helpful tool for discovering important information about the way you connect to others and to the Real You:
#2: Gracious People Are in High Demand
What is “Grace”? Let’s define it. In the context that I’m talking about here, grace is unmerited favor you give to people even when it feels they don’t deserve it.
And what does it look like when a gracious person makes keeping healthy connections or restoring lost ones a top priority?
- In the workplace, gracious people end up with a quiet confidence that allows them to give others a second chance. It’s a competitive advantage that flips personal mistakes into better customer service and new commercial opportunities. It overcomes disconnections with stronger connections.
- At home, gracious people create safe places for mistakes. They set up clear boundaries for healthy relationships. And they overcome the struggle of disconnection and misunderstanding with the power of kindness and a healthy self-image.
Want to be in high demand? Be gracious, keep your self-image healthy, and do your part to keep your relationships rooted in mutual understanding — even when you don’t agree.
#3: Restore Lost Connections to Build Inner Strength
Since restoring relationships and making them stronger typically starts with an understanding of what went wrong in the first place, you’ll need to know about inner strengths. This is because it’s the right use of your inner strengths that keep you connected to yourself and others. It’s the misuse of your inner strengths that create disconnection.
Furthermore, disconnected people will have to use their inherent drives (aka their inner strengths) as motivation to re-connect. Inner strengths are basically like relationship “muscles.” You’ll have to develop them if you want strong connections.
Find Your Own Reasons for Staying Connected
I just gave you 3 good reasons for restoring lost connections with friends, family, or even co-workers. But there are many others. Some of the most important relationships we have are also the hardest ones with the most to teach us.
Do you have a plan for staying connected, keeping a positive focus,— and becoming a safe, trusted source for straight talk?
Stay tuned for more on forming your own plan for success.