“However good or bad you feel about your relationship, the person you are with at this moment is the “right” person, because he or she is the mirror of who you are inside.”  ~ Deepak Chopra.

Love – to love and be loved – is one of the greatest joys of the human life experience. Unfortunately, it can also go very wrong. You could end up abused, neglected, and miserable – or worse.

It’s important to make wise choices in your relationships so your experiences with love can bring joy and fulfillment to your life.

Letting your heart rule your head is romantic, but you can keep yourself safe, both emotionally and physically, by making sure your head is at least involved in the decision making. When it comes to romantic partners, spotting any red flags that appear will help you have only healthy, strong relationships.

Another important consideration is your personal desire for a relationship. What, specifically, are you searching for? Are you doing the right things and going to the places that will attract someone who’s a good fit for you? Or are you just looking for anyone?

Finding the Right Person Through Understanding Yourself

When you’re looking for Mr. or Ms. Right, there are techniques you can use that will contribute to your success in finding who you’re looking for. The first thing you should do is to ensure you’re ready for the kind of relationship you’re looking for.

NOTE: There is a great guide called: “The Magic Of Making Up” that has helped hundreds of men and women just like you win back the mind, heart and soul of the ones they love. CLICK HERE to get more information.

Here are some ways to prepare for a great relationship:

1. Be comfortable with being alone. Are you content with being on your own? Any romantic relationship you enter into should be because you care about that person and yourself. If it’s only to avoid being lonely, it’s probably not the best choice for you.
2. Know what you want out of life. When looking for a person to share your life with, you want one who shares your goals, dreams, and values. Avoid settling for less because your long-term happiness could be affected – and so could the happiness of your partner.
3. Stay focused on your goals. Giving up your dreams and desires for someone else seldom works well. Seek out a person who encourages you to pursue your dreams. When you’ve found one, that’s someone worth paying attention to!
4. Remember it’s not a race. Choosing someone just so you aren’t alone is unfair to both of you. The person you’re looking for will appear when the time is right. Avoid trying to force it. Your time will come, when you least expect it! As hard as it may be, try to be patient.

Relationships Are More Than Just Romance

Healthy relationships come in all types and sometimes they aren’t romantic. The friends you have, the people you work with, and even the family members you spend the most time with can all impact how you feel about yourself and your life.

The truth is, intimacy is far more than romance. Intimacy is a closeness of mind, body, and soul that fulfills all dimensions and needs. So if you’re feeling an imbalance or you’re feeling used, confront the other person or get out of the relationship. All intimate relationships must be mutually beneficial, healthy, and happy.

Choosing relationships wisely can really make an important difference in your life. People who care for you will support and uplift you, rather than drag you down. Surround yourself with people who support you and share your goals, dreams, and values.

When you avoid harmful relationships, you’ll gain a healthy confidence that will benefit both your physical and mental health. Keep these relationship red flags and tips in mind so you can attract positive, healthy people into your life!

If уου′re human, уου′re going tο bе dealing wіtһ difficult people frοm time tο time. Yου′ll find tһеm аt work, аt home, οr even wһіƖе out shopping. WһіƖе уου′ll ƖіkеƖу tο solve a problem wіtһ a relative οr friend differently tһаח a ѕtrаחɡеr, tһеrе аrе аƖѕο ѕοmе universal ways οf communicating effectively wіtһ difficult people.

Here аrе ѕοmе tips tο turn those lions іחtο lambs:

1.Give tһеm tһе benefit οf tһе doubt. See іf уου саח ɡеt tο tһе root οf wһу tһеу′re acting difficult. Sometimes people аrе јυѕt having a bаԁ day.  Or perhaps tһе reason сουƖԁ һаνе nothing tο ԁο wіtһ tһе situation аt hand, bυt something еƖѕе іח tһеіr life.

2.Bе kind. Fighting fire wіtһ fire οftеח mаkеѕ tһе situation worse. If someone’s being difficult wіtһ уου, јυѕt keep a сοοƖ head аחԁ remain саƖm аחԁ kind. Chances аrе tһаt tһіѕ person wіƖƖ appreciate tһе fact tһаt уου′re being patient.

Kindness саח һеƖр уουr relationship wіtһ аחу difficult person. Even іf уου don’t particularly feel Ɩіkе being kind, try іt аt еνеrу opportunity. Yου сουƖԁ еחԁ up mаkіחɡ a חеw friend!

3.Focus οח tһе positive. Tһіѕ tip іѕ especially іmрοrtаחt wһеח tһе difficult person іח уουr life іѕ a family member. Bесаυѕе tһаt person wіƖƖ always bе іח уουr life, іt wουƖԁ benefit уου іח many ways tο һаνе a positive relationship. Even іf tһеу аrе difficult, tһеу һаνе ѕοmе ɡοοԁ aspects tοο. Spend уουr time focusing οח аחԁ bringing out tһеѕе positive aspects.

4.Avoid pointing fingers. It’s tempting tο рƖасе blame fοr difficult situations οח tһе οtһеr person. Adopt tһе mentality tһаt חеіtһеr οf уου аrе tο blame fοr tһе problem. It’ll һеƖр уου gain peace аחԁ clarity аbουt tһе situation.

It’s аƖѕο іmрοrtаחt חοt tο fight tһе οtһеr person. Yου don’t want tο bе considered a difficult person еіtһеr. Practice expressing уουr opinion without resorting tο arguments.

5.Focus οח tһе humor. Yου′ve probably bееח іח a difficult situation before wһеrе уου suffered аt tһе time, bυt later іt turned out tο bе quite a humorous ѕtοrу. Find tһе humor іח уουr current difficulty. It mау һеƖр уου both bе more relaxed аחԁ apt tο seek a positive solution.

6.Determine wһаt саח bе remedied. Focus οח tһе particular things tһаt уου саח take action οח іח tһе situation. Fοr instance, іf уου′re having a problem аt work, mediate tһе problem іf possible. Iח fixing wһаt уου саח, уου mіɡһt find tһаt many unresolved issues wіtһ others resolve themselves.

Yου аƖѕο need tο һаνе tһе wisdom tο understand wһеח уου won’t bе аbƖе tο change something. Yου mау need tο come tο terms wіtһ tһе fact tһаt a person wіƖƖ always cause уου difficulty. Tһіѕ acceptance alone mау һеƖр уου tο better deal wіtһ tһіѕ person.

7.Gеt һеƖр frοm others. Yου mау bе аbƖе tο find someone wһο һаѕ gone through a very similar situation. Aѕk tһеm һοw tһеу handled tһе problem. Tһіѕ οtһеr person mау bе аbƖе tο ѕһοw уου һοw tο аррrοасһ tһе situation wіtһ a different mindset. Aftеr аƖƖ, уου never really know wһаt piece οf іmрοrtаחt advice someone еƖѕе mау bе аbƖе tο give уου.

Difficult people wіƖƖ always bе іח уουr life, bυt tһаt doesn’t mean tһаt dealing wіtһ tһеm always needs tο bе hard. Try tһеѕе strategies tο smooth out challenging situations аחԁ mаkе уουr communications more effective.

Wіtһ a ƖіttƖе effort аחԁ understanding, уου mау find tһаt ѕοmе οf tһеѕе people really aren’t even difficult аt аƖƖ!

Most people when first started out in a relationship would feel like the whole world was belong to them. They would have so many things to talk about, so much fun and so many things in common. So many dreams to share and so many great hopes to expect for the future.

But as time goes by… many of us will start to feel the opposite. That it becomes less things to talk about. Less things in common to share. The relationship seems to become tense and less fun each day. Sounds familiar?

That’s the sign of a relationship that’s not built on a solid foundation!

As your relationship grows, you want to be certain that you’re building a rock-solid foundation on which to base your relationship. Having that solid foundation is key to a long and lasting relationship. Without s strong foundation, your relationship wouldn’t survive the challenges of life.

How can we have a relationship that’s based on rock-solid foundation that will in turn lead to a committed marriage that grows stronger as the years pass?

Unfortunately though, in today’s global economy, many of us are afraid of true commitment. Instead of entering a marriage with the intention to stick around no matter what, many people go into marriage with the idea that, “I can always get a divorce if things don’t work out.”

Building a rock-solid relationship and marriage is a journey. You can’t build it overnight! It involves trust, commitment and respect from both party. When it comes to building a solid relationship, it certainly takes two hands to clap! You and your partner must decide if you guys willing to take the journey together regardless where it may lead to.

Here are some of the stages that couple may go through in building a strong foundation for their relationship:

1. When a couple is deeply in love with each other, each person believes the other is perfect and that their love can withstand any challenges or obstacles that may have come their way. This period is generally known as BLIND LOVE! and won’t last very long. Understand that nobody is perfect!

2. Real relationship begins when you and your partner realize that you guys aren’t that perfect after all. Some adjustments need to be made. At this point, one or both may decide to leave the relationship if you guys aren’t willing to compromise the changes.

3. Reconfirmation. One or both of you may try to reconfirm the relationship. You may turn to friends and family members for advice and try to justify if he or she is the right one for you.

4. Acceptance. Now, if your relationship manages to reach this stage, it would likely to survive the storms of life! Both of you now understand that conflicts and differences can still arise but each one is now more giving and forgiving. At this stage, a couple has learned to compromise and respect the differences and work toward the common goals or dreams.

You see a romantic love itself can not guarantee a solid relationship. The foundation must be built based on commitment, trust and mutual respect. With these elements, your relationship will always be strong.

Hope you’ve learned something useful from this article.

P.S. One of the best ebooks I have ever read on relationship is called “The Magic of Making Up”. Check it out! You’ll love it!

Relationships of all kinds are often perceived as very delicate things, that require extra effort to maintain. However, a relationship can also be something that can provide security and can also be long lasting despite many challenges.

Building an effective and lasting relationship is a necessity for several reasons. For example in a group or organization, the well being of the people depends on how efficient and effective the members of the group work together as well as with the top management.

Society is defined as a web of relationships, which requires all parties to work and contribute their share in order to achieve a common goal. Having a relationship that is good, where cooperation and respect are manifested, can make society work better. In this way each member works for the good of the whole and towards achieving a common goal. This can only be attained with effective and efficient relationships.

Understanding the other parties’ feeling and position creates an effective and efficient relationship. The easiest method to understand what is important to another party is to ask them what they want and listen to what they have to say. When the other party realizes this, they would feel the importance given to them

Effective and efficient relationships require parties to openly express their feelings and positions on all matters pertinent on the relationship. Assuming that the other party understands our needs and give us when we need it without asking for it is not a good practice.

Respect is the key to effective relationship. In order to create a more effective relationship, parties should treat each other with respect.  We can show respect just by listening to the other party and by trying sincerely to understand how they function. You can also show respect to other parties by confirming that they are doing everything they can. Respect is the very foundation for a great relationship. This also means respecting yourself and respecting others.

Another key area in forming an effective relationship is to tackle differences of the other party directly. Differences between parties or people are quite interesting. For example in a conversation where each party listens to the other party, you may observe that each is having two different perspectives.

Developing an atmosphere where people feel safe to express their feelings is also key to successful relationships building. When parties fail to express whatever is on their mind or their feelings, it can get in the way of building an effective relationship.

I don’t think I can express enough the crucial importance of contacts. I could rattle off statistics like the Federal Bureau of Labor research that 70% of all jobs are found through networks or axioms like “It’s not what you know but who you know”, but the truth is that nothing, bar nothing, is as important as your list of contacts.

The value of social networks:

Everybody can benefit from the value of connecting and most importantly, those that participate in connecting with others, whether here or anywhere, will receive those benefits.

The value of a network is greater than the sum of the individuals that make up that network. In other words if you have 100 people and you add up their individual values it would be smaller (much smaller) than their value if they all knew each other. Hopefully this is just stating something that you already knew and readily practice, but it also has another interesting conclusion that might not be so obvious.

Each new member to that network grows the value of that network at an increasing rate. So if you take our 100 person network and double it to a 200 person network the value of this new network is much greater than simply double the 100 person network. Each person has an exponential increase in the value of the network.

Connecting with others is a win: win scenario. Everybody benefits from everyone’s participation. A proper network does not create winners and losers…only winners. Remember creating wealth is not about beating someone else or taking money off someone. It’s about offering value to others. If you offer value to others they will pay you willingly for that value.

The great thing about networks is that they are virtually free to participate in but they can provide immeasurable value to you and the others in the network. How much does it cost to make a contact or keep a friend? A few minutes on the phone, a regular coffee, an email here and there. I’m sure you get the idea that there is no cost involved. But what could you offer that friend or vice versa. You (or they) could be the contact that opens the door to a massive deal or new job opportunity or life changing experience. This sort of thing happens time and again…and introductions and recommendations, much like manners, cost nothing.

Who would benefit from you introducing a friend to someone else you know looking to meet or say hire someone like your friend? Well your friend would obviously if they score a brilliant new job. Your other contact, the employer, would as well because you’ve helped them find someone they were looking for. And finally you would because these two people are grateful to you for your help in being thoughtful enough to see the link and introduce them. To sum up, connecting people is all about solving problems!

Small World:

But is all this networking stuff really worth the effort? Will it really change your life? The short answer is “Yes”. However, for those of us that would like a bit more convincing one of the most famous social network experiments was performed by Stanley Milgram in the late 1960s. He created an experiment that illustrates just how close we are to anyone we need to know.

Milgram sent letters to random participants in Omaha and Wichita detailing the purpose of the study and some basic information on a target in Boston that they should sent the letter to. If they didn’t know the target directly then they should forward the letter to an acquaintance they thought would be more likely to know the target, and so on. Milgram found that the average length of these chains was about six. His study essentially shows us just how small this world really is…connect because you are closer to the person that can change your life than you think.

Although Milgram’s experiment showed that the average length between two random people is six, he never coined the term six degrees of separation. Credit for that goes to John Guare who first used the term for his 1990 play. It later became a more common term following the 1993 film of the same name featuring Will Smith.

An interesting variation of this theme is the trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, which states that any actor or actress could be linked to Kevin Bacon within six links. It’s amazing to think that Kevin Bacon is linked to Ronald Reagan and Steve McQueen by only one person. Try the game is fun and enlightening…

I hope you come and join in…

Emlyn Scott is the founder of Rich1Percent, investor and wealth creation author. He is a wealth creation and finance expert with 4 post graduate qualifications and has amassed a multi-million dollar investment portfolio.

Perhaps you have heard this cliche many times before…

“If we can’t be a lover, we still can be friend”.

Even the popular song “Rihanna Umbrella” uses it in its lyrics. FYI: Rihanna Umbrella is a song by the pop princess Rihanna. This song is about a girl who has ended her relationship with her lover, but she still wants to be friend with her ex-lover. The theme of her song “You can stand under my umbrella,” is a metaphor for “when you need help, you can still come to me because I am still your friend”.

Well, the truth is that many people are unable to stay as friend after a relationship break-up. But, of course there are also many who are able to remain as friends after a break-up. So, it’s all depend on case by case situation.

Typically, you still can be friend with your ex-lover if and only if the following is true…

Enough time has been given in the break up process and both of you fully understand the reasons why the relationship should end. No one will dwell on the past and there is no hard-feeling. So, there is mutual respect between you and your ex, agree to disagree… and move on…

If there is any “hard-feeling”, then being friend with your ex-lover can be very difficult and stressful. It’s just like a time bomb waiting to explode. If you still want to be friend with your lover after a break-up, the only best solution is to sit down and talk it over until both of you agree that ending the relationship is best for both of you in future. I know it can be difficult to sit down and talk, but if you don’t do that… it can be difficult for you to move on…

P.S. if you like the “Rihanna Umbrella” song, you can watch and listen to a variation of this song by this beautiful and most talented singer Marie Digby.