Getting along with others is a wonderful talent to have. It is easily applied at home, at work and on the road in between. Not having this simple skill can add layers of pain to life and affect your recovery. The good news is this ability can be refined. Want to get along better with others? Here are five relational traits and the accompanying skills you can develop.
1. Empathy
Having empathy means you can see how words, behaviors, and situations effect other people. With empathy you can recognize and share in the feelings of others. It allows you to adjust your actions to benefit the needs of others.
Skill: Practice recognizing what others need.
2. Respect
To respect someone is to have an admiration for their personality qualities, their abilities or their achievements. Respect also communicates an understanding and appreciation for other people’s feelings, traditions and rights.
Skill: Practice honoring and esteeming others without criticism, complaint or faultfinding.
3. Forgiveness
Painful treatment from others in the past makes mastering the art of forgiveness a necessity to create a healthier future. Forgiveness is the single most restorative and beneficial element in relational reconciliation and personal well-being. When you forgive others, you reduce bitterness and anger, and radically decrease your emotional distress. Tension, suffering, and stress are replaced by peace, growth, and hope.
Skill: Practice overlooking faults, working down slights, and letting go of offenses.
4. Interdependence
Relational contentment is not found in dependence or in complete independence, but harmony can be attained through relational interdependence. Each person gives to the other and receives from the other. This allows people to express individual differences and yet appreciate the strengths of others. The interdependent relationship focuses on agreement and seeks unity with someone rather than triumphing over them.
Skill: Practice collaborating and cooperating rather than competing.
5. Optimism
One of the best relational traits is the ability to see a hopeful and promising future for self and others. Other people want to be around you if you believe the best about them. Stay upbeat, outgoing, and enthusiastic in your view of the world and the next steps ahead. Work to be confident and focus on future opportunities rather than dwelling on the failures and setbacks of the past.
Skill: Practice seeing the possibilities in everyone and every situation.
Making Relational Progress
Executing these five simple skills on a regular basis will result in improved relationships. You have the power and the ability to make yourself a better partner and to change your interaction with others.
Recovery is a Journey. Enjoy the Ride!
