Building Relationships, Commitment, and Love - Starting With E

We continue our series on how to build interpersonal relationships, whether with family, coworkers, friends, or that special someone. Commitment and love are important to all of us; they are worth fighting for; they are worth working for. You also should know that in spite of many promises there is no secret for success, no checklist of things to do, and just as importantly no checklist of things not to do. But we do have suggestions, now continuing with the letter E. The focus is on earnest, emotional, and encouraging.

E is for earnest. This quality is so important one of the English language's greatest writers, Oscar Wilde, wrote a play entitled, "The Importance of Being Earnest." Or maybe it was "The Importance of Being Ernest." Anyway, being earnest means being serious, really serious. If you are earnest people know that you mean business. In fact more than that, they know you mean what you say. They know you'll get it done instead of saying let George do it. You don't pass the buck. The downside is that in some workplaces guess who will be given the thankless tasks, the ones that nobody wants. Did I hear Ernie? I know I didn't hear George.

E is for emotional. You are not a bloodless automaton. You've got a heart. Perhaps you even cry in the corner when nobody sees you. That's a good thing. Because you have an inner self and you are in touch with your inner self you can reach out to people. The more you reach out, the more people will reach out to you. They realize that they don't have to hide their feelings in your presence. They, too, can be themselves. The way I see it, we need more people who are emotional in all parts of their life, including the workplace. Just remember, don't let the boss see you crying when you are turned down for a promotion. That won't help your chances the next time.

E is for encouraging. This quality is also sorely lacking not only in the business world but also on the personal plane. People need encouragement. They need to know that they can do it and that someone is rooting for them. Isn't that a lot better than being negative, telling people that they just are not good enough? You can be encouraging; I know you can. Don't let any stop you.