“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

The Golden Rule

No-brainer, right? Then why is it so rare to have harmonious relationships – with our spouses, children, relatives, neighbors, bosses/employees, co-workers, and on and on?

This week, my wife and I are celebrating our 25th Anniversary. Nobody gave us much of a chance of “making it” when we got married, we were “too young”.  Enjoying harmony in any relationship comes down to a four-letter word: W-O-R-K!

It takes work to control yourself, and your emotional responses, in the midst of real or perceived offenses from those around you.  The Mental Toughness process and toolkit have helped me enormously over the years. Quite frankly, without Mental Toughness we would not have lasted, let alone be shamelessly happy in our relationship.

Both of us had to start with loving and accepting ourselves.  Most folks don’t love and accept themselves, and so, it is impossible to love and accept others.  Once we got over our own faults, it freed us up to not judge or blame others for their faults.

We also learned, (mostly the hard way) to always be honest and open.  When you assume anything in any relationship, it can only go badly.  Being honest isn’t about being mean, but it does require clarity, precision, accuracy and relevance. (CLICK HERE for a refresher on these critical thinking skills.)

My wife and I have applied these same principles to all of our relationships, inside and outside the home.  Imagine the customer, boss, co-worker, employee, or Little League parent that gets under your skin. Once you accept your own faults, try accepting they are just like you….not perfect.  Remember, you don’t like to be judged or blamed, and they are just like you…they don’t enjoy it much either. You’re not a fan of people assuming things about you….they aren’t either, so stop assuming things about them.

It’s amazing how much less stress I have in my life since I started making these things a habit.

Boo Yah!