Keys to Unlocking Unhealthy Relationships

It's worth the effort to prioritize your relationships.

Today,  We want to talk about some excerpts from "People Can't Drive You Crazy if you Don't Give Them the Keys" by Mike Bechtle.  We're striving for original content on this site, but sometimes - the favorite books in the library come to mind.  This book delves into how relationships work and the impact they may have on our lives (if we let them).  

...  Why recreate the wheel?  

The book covers these topics, among others:  

• Looking through the lens of what's true and real
• Choosing how you respond instead of simply reacting
• Deciding what you can impact in a situation and what is out of your control.
• Analyzing the real dynamics in a relationship.
• Learning how to influence people without the expectation of change.
• Learn how to capitalize your own uniqueness and how to recognize uniqueness in others. 
• You are your worst enemy - You've thought through the potential for managing your own emotions.  

Changing ourselves has 2 benefits:  

It puts us in control of our emotional life, regardless of what others do.

Causes others to respond differently to us.  

Key Points:  

Joy - Life is filled with ups and downs.  Healthy people learn how to live with both.

Perspective - Some people get upset with everything that happens around them.  It's like they're always finding the negative, and they appoint themselves as caretaker of everyone else's behavior. But that perspective keeps them steeped in drama.

Kindness -  Often seen as a sign of weakness rather than strength.  It can provide a path to freedom.

Integrity - Many people make decisions based on avoiding pain and embarrassment, choosing the easy way over the right way.  Integrity is who we are when we are not alone.  It's when there's alignment between who we are on the inside and how we come across to others on the outside.   

Commitment -  In our society, we expect people to disappear when things get tough.  That's why a person who sticks around when the going gets tough makes such an impact on any relationship.  

There's always work to be done with relationships, but not all relationships are worthy of our time and attention.  Look at each of these elements listed above and think about how they may influence your personal perspective when dealing with difficult individuals.  It wouldn't hurt to check out the book as well!