If you had a magic wand that could improve your life—but you could only use it once—what change would you make? Some people might say they’d want more money; others would say they want more time. There are a lot of possibilities but I know what I’d choose: Relationships.
People need relationships. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, our lives are ALL about relationships. They’re defined by them and influenced by them, and we define and influence other people by the relationships we have with them. If you want to improve your life, look at improving your relationships.
Not every relationship is the same:
- There are different kinds of relationships—professional, friendly, romantic, etc.
- There are different levels of relationship—minimal… all the way to a deep, intimate connection
- There are different levels of connection—from one-sided (all take, no give) to mutual (both sides giving)
Understanding this about every relationship will help you to know where you’re starting from so you can change it.
If You Want To Improve Your Life Do This Today (And Every Day)
Start by thinking about how you can take these relationships and make them better. You can instantly start to make improvements in every relationship by doing the following:
- Figure out what motivates the other person
- Serve them selflessly to help them achieve their dreams and targets
Do this every single day with every relationship you have and you will discover a profound transformation in yourself and in others.
Which Relationships Does This Apply To?
This applies to every single relationship you have. Use the list below as a checklist to guide you:
- Family relationships (spouse and children)
- What does an ideal relationship look like with these people?
- How do they add value to your life?
- How do you add value to their lives?
- What are their dreams and targets?
- What can you do to serve them and help them achieve their dreams and targets?
- Team relationships (with your managers and employees)
- What does an ideal relationship look like with these people?
- How do they add value to your life?
- How do you add value to their lives?
- What are their dreams and targets?
- What can you do to serve them and help them achieve their dreams and targets?
- Customer relationships
- What does an ideal relationship look like with these people?
- How do they add value to your life?
- How do you add value to their lives?
- What are their dreams and targets?
- What can you do to serve them and help them achieve their dreams and targets?
- Vendor relationships
- What does an ideal relationship look like with these people?
- How do they add value to your life?
- How do you add value to their lives?
- What are their dreams and targets?
- What can you do to serve them and help them achieve their dreams and targets?
Family, employees, customers, vendors. Once you start figuring out what’s important to them and then serve them at the highest level, you’ll see massive change. And of course, you don’t have to stop there. From your barber to your dry-cleaner, from the kid pumping your gas to the person you meet on the street, you can apply the same few questions above to make a massive change in their lives.
Summary
There simply isn’t a faster way to create a better life for you and for those around you than by identifying your relationships and relentlessly seeking to serve each one. Improve your life one relationship at a time.
