Quality

The quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life. Be constantly evaluating whether you are building genuine relationships or just relationships of convenience. Most people can read the difference. Be proactive - words reveal our intentions, but intentions are not enough. People don’t know what we are intending to do, they only know what we do. We often judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. Just because we think about doing something nice for someone doesn’t make it admirable or commendable. That comes with ‘the doing’. Intentions without actions are just pipe dreams. We need to give a voice to our intentions and stay accountable for carrying through.

The power of words carefully chosen and sincerely spoken is immeasurable. They are the foundation of great relationships. Commitments, agreements, and business deals all rely on words. Learn to say what you mean tactfully and mean what you say. Become a person of your word.

A thoughtful person also withholds judgmental words until they know they are speaking from the heart and not from feelings. Feelings can be fickle. They can change like the wind and sometimes we can wonder where they came from and where they are going. It’s dangerous to run our life by our feelings. Choose what you do with your feelings and choose carefully what you say to others.

Make your words count. There is no such thing as fake sincerity. We’re either sincere or not. Therefore, it is incredibly important to learn to speak in a way that truly connects with people rather than turns them off. We may need to practice new ways of communicating. Even if we are sincere, if others can’t tell then our credibility and reputation is questionable.

Specific praise is a powerful tool to build people up. Lack of praise can be soul-destroying. People need praise for a job well done. Praise is something that we need to practice. If we have people’s self-esteem and value in our heart then we will choose to practice praising until we have made it a part of our daily vocabulary. Specific praise is the most edifying so it takes a little more effort and thought.