All of us have many relationships with family, friends, co-workers and vendors. Some relationships are stronger than others. Our ability to connect with people has a direct effect on our sense of purpose and fulfillment in life.
The following is a simple concept to help you build deeper and stronger relationships. This is a lesson I learned from Jennifer Philips, founder of Good to Glam. She read about this concept in the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey.
According to Philips, relationships are like bank accounts. Every time you do something nice for someone, it is like making a deposit. Every time you need something from the other person, it is like making a withdrawal. As long as you make more deposits than you make withdrawals, the relationship is heading in the right direction. You never want your account to be overdrawn.
The difference between what you give and what you take is the value you bring to the relationship. In most cases, the more value you bring to the relationship the more important you become to those people. As you become more important to people, they are more likely to help when you need it.
Sometimes the little things matter a lot. I met a woman whose dog had passed away. She posted it on Facebook and all of her friends posted their sympathies. One friend did a bit more than all the rest. He found some photos of her dog on her Facebook page and copied them onto a custom sympathy card. He left the card and some flowers outside her apartment door the next day. As she told me how much she appreciated that gesture, tears began to stream down her face.
Think about the important relationships in your life. Are you making as many deposits as you should be?
