Human Relationships

Let me teach you a little trick about human relationships. When you first meet a person, it is our natural tendency to be negative - to see the person's flaws, shortcomings, and idiosyncrasies. We get defensive, compare them to ourselves, and do our best to come to a positive conclusion about ourselves.

But then after we have known them a while and we see them less as a threat, we start seeing the good things about them - their strengths, their abilities, the special things about them that make them unique.

Here's the trick: when you are in a critical mood, keep your mouth shut. Do not say anything negative to them or about them. Wait for it to pass and for positive thoughts to come. And then speak to them and about them with these admirable qualities in mind.

This is important because what you say about others both reveals who you are and shapes what you become.