"You can get whatever you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want." When I retired, my employees gave me a beautiful clock/plaque that was inscribed with this phrase, because they heard me preach it so many times. They remembered me by this phrase because I tried to live by this philosophy and proved first hand to myself and others that it really works. However I cannot take credit for coining this phrase. It happens to be one of my favorite quotes, by a renowned speaker and professional trainer named Zig Ziglar. I've seen Zig on stage many times at motivational seminars. I have purchased and read his books and listened to his recordings over and over. He's one of the most energetic individuals you will ever see on a stage and his performances and messages are wonderful. If you haven't heard of him, you owe it to yourself to find out more about Zig at his website by visiting www.ZigZiglar.com. Zig, along with other professional trainers agree that the best way to build a GOOD LIFE is by building meaningful relationships with everyone around you.
Quality relationships with family members, employees, co-workers, customers, suppliers, and friends are the necessary threads that make up quality lives. When our relationships contain mutual respect, are nurtured with care, and go well…. our days always seem to go smoother and we all seem to be happier. When individuals in relationships take each other for granted, misunderstandings are sure to arise, and we tend to become disappointed and negative, as happiness seems out of reach.
Good relationships are the FOUNDATION to a truly happy life. One basic principle to human life is that we all need each other. You are probably enjoying this short lesson on your personal computer. Chances are excellent that you did not create that computer by yourself. It was created by another person or group of people. How about your desk, your clothes or the food that you eat?
In fact, when you take a look around at all of the things that you use on a daily basis, you'll quickly realize that without other people, you wouldn't survive very long. Nature has made it so that we all depend on each other for our survival. And it is through voluntary trade and the division of labor that we interact with each other and end up with all of the things that make our lives easier and livable.
Once you come to grips with the fact that we all need each other to live, it becomes apparent as to why good relationships are important. A good relationship can get you a job interview that you otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to obtain. A good relationship can get you court-side seats to an NBA game, or tickets to a sold-out concert. The scenarios are endless. And the ways in which you can help others get what they want in life are endless as well.
Unfortunately, there are many misers in this world who in turn lead miserable lives. You can be poor or rich. There are no qualifications to being a miser. However you can see how the words miser and miserable are complimentary to each other. Those that choose to live self centered lives and refuse to share and give, usually get exactly what they are deserving of in life. Healthy relationships are formed as a result of individuals sharing, caring and complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses.
When there are arguments, bickering, fighting, and the worst case scenario of war, the energy of life gets put on hold. Only when the fighting stops do all of the good things begin again. Take another look at all of the things that surround you. How much of it do you think you would have, if you had to fight for it rather than trade for it?
Finally, the most important relationships that you can develop are probably with your family. Nobody can care for you better than those who love you. The current world population is estimated at 6,602,224,175 people, and it's physically impossible to form relationships with even the smallest percentage of these individuals; even with the greatest technologies we have available to us today. But it's not impossible to have great relationships with your loving family members. These relationships can last a lifetime, from birth to death. We all need to place these relationships in a very special category of their own. They should be relationships that we respect and cherish each and every day and never taken for granted.
We can live productive and secure lives because we can trade with people outside of our families. But to live the best lifestyle the planet has to offer, we need to unconditionally share what we have with the people we love. After all, wonderful relationships are what we live for!