Relationships get in the way

Most of us have more than enough to do to keep us busy. We live in busy times. We have so much to do that we don’t attend to our relationships. One participant in a recent Exploring Extraordinary Relationship workshop in Hawaii said “My relationship gets in the way of doing things I have to do.”

But consider this: “Do you stay busy so as to avoid something in your relationships?”

Sometimes it may seem easier to keep busy at other things than to put in the time required to have your relationships really thrive - especially if you’re not sure what it takes or what to do to have them thrive.

One access to a fulfilling relationship is making requests and promises, since both are relational in nature. You make requests of another person and promises to another person. It’s the acceptance of the requests and promises that both establish and maintain relationships.

That same participant later saw this and said, “If I didn’t make promises, I wouldn’t get anything done.” Requests and promises serve a valuable role in relationships! Rather than getting in the way, relationships enhance productivity by creating a condition for making requests and promises.

Finally, we discovered together that perhaps the greatest gift we receive in making requests and promises to each other is the joy and fulfillment of the experience of being related. And, just maybe, the real reason we stay too busy to have time for our relationships is that we find it difficult to be in the presence of the deep and profound love that we have for each other.

With our love,

Sandy & Lon