Building Great Relationships

Do the hard work of getting along with each other.
James 3:18

If you're serious about building great relationships, do the following:

(1) Put others first. Listen: "Serve [others] whole heartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men" ( Ephesians 6:7 ). If you take that mindset into all your dealings with others, you can't go wrong.

(2) Don't carry emotional baggage. If someone has hurt you and you need to address it, do so right away. Forgive them, resolve it and get beyond it. If it's not worth bringing up, forget it and move on.

(3) Invest in your most valuable relationships. Don't give away your time on a first-come-first-served basis. Don't let the squeaky wheel stake so much that you've nothing left for those who matter most.

(4) Serve others gladly. One airline executive explained how difficultit is to hire and train people for his industry: "Service is the only thing we have to sell, but it's the toughest thing to teach because nobody wants to be thought of as a servant."

(5) Constantly express your appreciation. Tell your loved ones how much you love them - and do it often! Too many of us think that the best way to help people is to criticise them or give them "the benefit of our wisdom." Wrong! The best way to help others is to see the best in them.Practice the 101 percent principle: look for one thing to admire, and then give them 100 percent encouragement for it. That'll help you to like them, and them to like you. What could be better for arelationship?