Every Friday I post about one of the lessons I’ve learned so far in life, both financial and about life in general. We’ve all learned valuable lessons along life’s journey, sometimes the easy way and sometimes the hard way. Hopefully someone will read what I learned and avoid having to learn the same thing the hard way. Check back every Friday for a new lesson learned.
Relationships Matter
Some of the most important things in life are our relationships with other people. Our spouse or signifcant other, our parents, our siblings, our children, our friends, our co-workers, etc. Some of these relationships are more important than others, but one of the primary factors in having a happy and fulfilled life is having healthy relationships with people you care about and that care about you.
Like most other things in life, relationships require maintenance to keep them going. This seems like it should be common sense, but it can easily be overlooked. If you never call and talk with someone, you lose touch and the relationship fizzles. In today’s world of Facebook it seems like it should be easier to stay in touch and foster relationships, but it doesn’t seem like that’s how it works in reality.
I know that during my college years, I was so busy going to class, going to work, and doing schoolwork that I didn’t spend very much time at all building and maintaining relationships. I met some really good people in college that could have been really good friends had I taken the time to cultivate the relationship. At the time, I guess I thought it didn’t really matter. And this isn’t to say that I didn’t make any friends during college or anything like that, because I did.
I think that sometimes we all get so busy with life that it becomes easy to get sidetracked and let our relationships take a back seat to other things. Just remember that relationships need to be maintained just like a car. So take 15 minutes out of your day today and call up a friend that you haven’t talked to in a long time and catch up. You’ll be glad you did.
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Modest Money
May 25, 2012 at 2:01 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Good advice. I definitely need to focus more on this. After being in a 7+ year relationship I lost touch with most of my old friends. Now I’m trying to rebuild a lot of those friendships. It would’ve been a lot easier if I had just keep in touch with them more over the years.
Justin
May 27, 2012 at 10:08 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I hear you. Like so many other things, it’s a lot easier to keep up on them rather than letting them go and then trying to make up for it later.
Shilpan
May 25, 2012 at 5:36 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Most of us achieve success due to our relationship with others. If you think of most people who have been successful, their success either is due to people who helped them professionally, or their spouses who silently sacrificed to make pathway for the success.
Justin
May 27, 2012 at 10:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This is very true. My accounting professor in college put me in touch with the guy that ultimately hired me into the job I have now. And spouses are definitely a big part in being successful too!
Matthew Doyle
May 26, 2012 at 1:32 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Good post!! I have caught myself many times taking the relationships in my life for granted. Over the past few years I have learned the true meaning of the phrase, “It is about who you know, not what you know”. I now make an effort to consistently call friends and try to meet up for lunch or coffee. I think social media and texting has disconnected us from relationship building.
Justin
May 27, 2012 at 10:13 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks for the comment. I agree that technology has kind of made us lose the importance of actual contact with others. It’s so easy to send a text or a message on Facebook instead of calling or actually meeting up in person.
Daisy @ Add Vodka
May 26, 2012 at 11:07 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
SO true – relationships matter, and not just with one person. My mom always told me to never forget about my friends, even when a great guy comes along. She always said that you can never expect one person to provide all you need, relationship-wise, and friends are so important. I agree!
MyMoneyDesign
May 28, 2012 at 4:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I agree with you so much! I did the same thing during college. This sounds funny, but I really wish I had spent more time focusing on friends than trying to get an A+ in every class. You can only go so far by yourself; you’ll need some friends to carry you the rest of the way.