5 Ways To Cultivate Better Relationships

Human beings are social creatures. You only have to compare the number of people choosing to live as hermits against the teeming populations of our major metropolises! Seriously, most of us yearn for successful relationships, whether that’s with the people we work beside every day, our families, or the partners we are romantically involved with. This ability to forge meaningful relationships is the source of much satisfaction and happiness. But how do we go about ensuring we don’t just cultivate good relationships, we actually improve on these to make them better? Here are five ways to do this.

1. Act in a thoughtful way

One way guaranteed to create an even stronger bond within a relationship is to impress upon someone you are always there for them. Being generous towards them will make them feel valued. This isn’t just generosity as in you don’t mind forking out on expensive presents. While it’s always pleasant to receive gifts, particularly when they come as a surprise that isn’t necessarily tying in with a birthday, some people do so for their own gratification. But this act must never be in the context of a purely materialistic transfer of goods. What is being referred to here is generosity of spirit.

Do you have a friend who has been down lately, for what could be any number of reasons? Perhaps they’ve suffered a relationship breakdown, a job loss or a bereavement? Simply checking in now and again will cultivate a positive relationship, demonstrating you are always there for them and are willing to provide emotional support during difficult times.

2. Be empathetic

Relationships will flourish when there is a strong sense of empathy between the parties, even if there is a degree of one-sidedness to how strong this is. With romantic partnerships, it doesn’t matter how you first met, whether that was a flirt website or a social encounter, always show your partner you’re thinking of them and are always willing to see things from their point of view. Empathy will put you on the same wavelength when it comes to dealing with stressful issues.

The flip side of this type of behavior is selfishness. When one party becomes focused on their own importance, a relationship can become unhealthy for the person who is being treated with disrespect.

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3. Always compromise

Another crucial tip about cultivating a better relationship is to be prepared to meet in the middle whenever there are disagreements, no matter how trivial or serious. There is nothing more tiresome than listening to someone arguing a point and refusing outright to listen to the counter-argument. We all fall out at some point but while debates are healthy, they must be constructive and based on compromise, even when opposing viewpoints seem to start off at polar extremes. Only by listening and agreeing to respect differences will friction be resolved.

4. Act on your word

If you tell the other person in this relationship that you intend acting on something, ensure you do so. Letting someone down because you broke your promise will undermine what you have, because, no matter how insignificant the action in question may seem, you have raised a question mark over your trustworthiness.

5. Motivation

Finally, an excellent way to cultivate better relationships is to support one another’s aspirations. Even if you have niggling doubts about some venture they are about to embark on, still give your partner your unequivocal support. If you don’t and things don’t work out, they’ll resent you all the more. It’s life affirming to share dreams and aspirations, and far better to offer encouragement all along.