We begin the second week of our journey to seek our true nature and discover our path to health and happiness. Welcome to week two of Creating Peace from the Inside Out: The Power of Connection! I hope you are finding your path to your soul’s purpose to create a life in which all things are within reach.
Day 8 – Improving Every Relationship
CENTERING THOUGHT
I can create positive change in my relationships.
SANSKRIT MANTRA
Om Mitraya Namah (I invoke the spirit of friendliness)
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
If we want to improve our relationships, we must start by being an agent of change ourselves. We can affect positive change by basing our beliefs on a vision that uplifts everyone – by consciously communicating with others, and acting with awareness and understanding. These self-aware messages you send from yourself to others act as powerful forces of positive change in all your relationships.
Journal Reflection Questions:
1. Thinking about a relationship that you have a genuine desire to improve, reflect on that person and what you believe about them. Write down each belief, positive or negative. For example, you could note that you believe a certain person is driven and passionate, but tends to be hostile. Now, for the negative beliefs, put yourself in the other person’s shoes and give their version of themselves. For example, would they agree they are hostile? If so, what might they say is the reason? If they would disagree, is denial at work on their end or are you perhaps over-reacting?
2. With the same relationship, write down the things you typically say when you feel resistance, encounter a problem, or have a disagreement. Do you tend to blame, get angry, balk, show more tolerance than you feel, try to put the other person down? Look at the pattern of what you keep repeating and ask yourself how effective your words have been. Journal about other possible ways to talk in these situations.
3. Finally, look at what you tend to do when a relationship hits a bump. Do you put your foot down, nag until you get your own way, guilt trip the other person, give in too easily, go along to get along, act like a people-pleaser, hold a grudge, forgive and forget? Look at your patterns and write about how effective or ineffective they have been. Then describe some alternative behaviors could you try.
4. Reflect further on your experience today.
“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, and most underrated agent of human change.” – Bob Kerrey