“How many of you have teenagers?” the speaker asked the audience at the Greensboro, North Carolina Business Association Meeting.

Approximately fifty percent of the audience’s hands shot up!

“FOR SALE???”

     Nobel prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway in a short story titled “The Capitol of the World” reveals the heart wrenching story of a relationship breakdown between a father and his teenage son, Paco. Paco eventually runs away from home and his father begins an arduous journey in search of him. Finally, in a last ditch effort the father placed an ad in the local newspaper in Madrid. It read:

   “Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office tomorrow at noon…all is forgiven…I love you.”

     The next morning, in front of the newspaper office, eight hundred men, named Paco, desiring to mend their relationship with their father, showed up!

Relationship Recovery…8 Steps

·        Get a PhD in relationships. CD’s, DVD’s and books abound with relationship-invigorating material. One of our favorites is:

      Have A New Kid by Friday, Also

      recently released:

      Have A New Husband by Friday.

      Connie Podesta’s DVD:

       Life Would Be Easy If It Weren’t for

       Other People.

 ·        Handling Criticism…Remember no one ever    
    kicks a dead dog! “If we hear that someone
    has spoken ill of us, let’s not try to defend 
    ourselves. Every fool does that. Let’s be 
    original—and humble—and brilliant! Let’s
    confound our critic and win applause for 
    ourselves by saying: ‘If my critic had known 
    about all my other faults, he would have
    criticized me much more severely than he
    did.’ Unjust criticism is often a disguised 
    compliment. If often means that you have
    aroused jealousy and envy. Remember that
    no one ever kicks a dead dog.” Dale Carnegie

·        Rebuild and Reconnect. Often estranged relationships can be mended by a phone call. Reach out to that person and try to better understand, love, and serve them. Then give it time!

·        Heart Balancers. Much like cholesterol clogs our arteries— uncaring, unforgiving attitudes choke relationship pathways. If you’re not as caring and compassionate as you’d like to be—

     Shift your focus to your ability to love

     and care for others. Do simple, little

     things for friends, family, and co-

     workers that demonstrate care and

     compassion. Don’t wait till you feel like

     it!

·        Become a More Interesting Person. Author Don Aslett’s entire family was inspired by his in-laws. When his in-laws retired they moved to Alaska (in spite of objections by friends and family). After living in Alaska for five years, they moved back. Those five years energized and rejuvenated them. They had new friends, new interests, and new stories! Do we?

·        Break Up. Relationships become dull and complacent unless—Once in a while we break up our habits, routines, and traditions. Speaker and author Luci Swindoll’s friends decided to shake up Luci’s routine when she turned 50. They rented a hearse and picked her up for a surprise night out on the town! When was the last time we broke with tradition and surprised our spouse, kids, co-workers, and friends with something new and invigorating!  

·        Laugh it Up.  The book of Proverbs equates laughter with good medicine. Relationships, much like our physical bodies need doses of good medicine (laughter) to keep them vibrant, energetic, and alive. Too often, my husband and I go out to restaurants or even churches, and observe a marked lack of joy on people’s faces. So - Laugh. Hee-haw it up folks. (I’m talking to myself here!) My husband has written down as one of his goals to laugh 3 times a day!

·        Learn Their Language Your spouse, kids, co-workers, and friends all have a specific love language. Some feel loved when you spend quality time with them. Others enjoy receiving special gifts as evidence that you were thinking of them. Still others appreciate a hug, a pat on the back. Others enjoy words of encouragement and affirmation. Acts of service mean a great deal to some. If you don’t understand what makes a person feel loved, they may feel estranged from the relationship, no matter how hard you are trying to make it work. (The “5 Love Languages” highlighted above were derived from Dr. Gary Chapman’s notes taken during 12+ years of counseling. His book: The Five Love Languages is a New York Times bestseller)  

BALANCING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD & OTHERS:

It’s hard to be a friend to others when you’re exhausted! Turn your life around in 2010. Go from fatigued to balanced living: Check out the E-book (downloadable to your computer): 
Turning Point…Is God Pro-exhaustion     Orders: here

Fun, practical, easy read divided into 5 days…will help you live a more focused, balanced, peaceful life.

**A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be given to the:

TAKE A KID FISHING FOUNDATION

(In honor of the life of Mike Narron)

Have A New Kid by Friday 
Also recently released:
Have A New Husband by Friday.
 Visit here for more details!

 

BALANCING RELATIONSHIPS AT HOME & WORK :

Laugh with Connie Podesta’s DVD:

“Life would be easy if it weren’t for other people”
Comedian and therapist, Connie Podesta:

Learn why it's in YOU to create successful, happy and healthy relationships. When you get to work in the morning, is that where you want to be?

And— when you go home at night, is that where you feel good and safe? Being able to answer yes to both questions is key to happiness, success and wealth. Orders click on link above!