Relationship Definitions
I am writing this blog because I was inspired by a church service recently and immediately started writing down my thoughts. The Sunday message was about Relationship with God and how Christians can build a stronger relationship with God.
The second reason for writing is that relationship is an integral part of both my life coaching and business coaching sessions. As part of my life coaching session, I run workshops on Health, Wealth and Relationships and how it underpins our existence whether we are aware of it or not. From a business coaching perspective, it also impacts our life accordingly to the way we manage our health, wealth and relationships -they are all interrelated.
Relationships are defined in many ways. Ordinary, Close, Deep, Intimate and Symbiotic. Some relationships are manufactured and others become symbiotic.
Word Web Dictionary on my phone App defines Symbiotic as
- (biology) used of organisms (especially of different species) living together, usually to their mutual advantage = dependent
- Mutually beneficial: Some partners attempt to maintain their relationships by being symbiotic
We begin our first relationship at conception in our mother’s womb. Even though a baby doesn’t know that intellectually, biologically the relationship begins to develop from infancy to adulthood and moving into a wider community. How those relationships are formed and develop plays a very important part in our lives
So how do you get from a session on life coaching in Birmingham to dealing with relationships? I want to begin by focusing and reflecting on Human Relationships.
Is it healthy, meaningful and fulfilling? Or are we struggling to form healthy, meaningful and fulfilling relationships? A lot depends on our nurturing, cultural upbringing and the environment we are surrounded by. Those influences guide us. As social creatures, we build relationships naturally based on the attraction towards each other. We find a common ground and develop relationships that way.
Social Media
In the 21st century Social Media has become the fastest way of forming relationships across continents with people we don’t know and perhaps we’ll never actually meet. Likes, comments and views on our social media posts have a psychological impact and how it makes us feel. We have become prone to viewing our smart phones constantly.
Recently the BBC TV documentary programme, Panorama reported that young people view their phones at least eighty times a day and spend almost eighteen hours a week on social media. Some even look at their phones in the middle of the night. Not to mention adults texting on their phones whilst driving. Smartphones have become an integral part of our lives to a point where it has been described as an addiction.
The smart phones have outsmarted us.
Healthy relationships are good for the body, mind and soul
This all makes us wonder about these relationships and how it can have both a positive and negative impact on our lives.
Relationships can fluctuate between ‘ordinary’ to deep and “close”. Some go deeper and “intimate” and some even sacrificial.
Perhaps you have your own version of relationship?
A relationship is not a straight-line journey, it is more of a two-way street which presents its own challenges. As humans we are designed to be different, we think differently and find ways to compromise and accept those differences. Whether it’s within your family & friends, neighbours, work colleagues, business partners, animals, nature and even with yourself.
You are the master of your destiny. Only you can find ways to work through those differences and measure the depth of those relationships. Some are very successful and enjoy meaningful relationships whilst others don’t. The evidence and the impact of those relationships are very obvious. For example, dysfunctional families, divorces, businesses dissolved, tensions between work colleagues and management. Even politically with the recent visits of powerful political leaders.
I believe relationships can be healed, restored and enjoyed. It takes a tremendous amount of respect and understanding towards each other’s differences. A relationship is a long journey with a final destination. All we leave behind are the footprints of those relationships and memories. Some memories are cherished whilst others are not.
Perhaps you might be facing challenges in your life.
What kind of relationships do you desire with your family & friends, workplace colleagues and people in general?
The deeper you get to know someone, the more you discover about that relationship. Having experienced challenges in my own relationships before I went along forming new ones, I asked myself two questions:
- Am I capable of managing and sustaining relationships?
- How will it impact my life and theirs?
A relationship with God can evolve out of our relationships with humans. It can be symbiotic.
Why form a spiritual relationship? Is it necessary?
All the books that I have read about past and present leaders, scientists and philosophers have demonstrated a great wealth of wisdom, understanding and maturity and have some sort of spiritual connection with someone greater than themselves. We are spiritual beings and what we call God is a spiritual being, irrespective of religious background. The billions of people who claim to believe in God have taken that step of faith in forming a relationship. Does it enhance their lives in any way? Only they can answer that and there is plenty of evidence to back it up.
God is that word which is universally spoken in several languages. Whether you believe in one or not. It’s a word that you will often hear. If God is omnipresent then He can be found everywhere and in everything.
Thousands of documentaries and works of literature have been written about God and will continue to be written. There are religions and organisations who can also signpost you in that direction.
My understanding of my spiritual relationship only applies to me. Relationship with an invisible God is a spiritual experience and I have integrated and harmonised it in my daily life. It effectively took several years of self-reflection especially about my own existence and my purpose in life. It’s true my spiritual journey has been mysterious and explorative in forming non-tangible and tangible relationships.
I’m not going to suggest any particular method of going about it. Having said that, first I managed to get my human relationships restored to make them more meaningful and happier. As I went along the process, I became more aware of the fact, that in the background God was spiritually working in my life without presenting himself in any forceful manner.
Humans, I believe are spiritual beings and we demonstrate that through our emotions and feelings. Scientifically we know our brain plays a big part and with whom and how we allow it to be influenced and conditioned.
I am not a scientist or a psychologist. But I do understand about the deeper person that I am, rather than just how people see me. I consistently try to stay transparent, so people who get to know me, know who I am and how I build my relationships with them. Self-awareness of my relationship with God works well and I can truly say it strengthens me, spiritually.
Understanding the relationship with God and Man can be a very different process. Perhaps not everyone thinks about it.
How to get to know God or understand his existence and forming a relationship is a very personal question. I would just say it is a matter of faith. For some, it comes out of need whilst others want and for some curiosity.
You may wish to explore these questions:
- How will you know that you are in a relationship with God?
- Does God depend on having a relationship with Man?
- Equally, does Man depend on having a relationship with God?
- Can it be mutual?
Ultimately, it boils down to you if you choose to explore options and discover the way that serves you best. You are the master of your destiny and if you feel God can play a part in it, maybe your experience could be as fulfilling and exciting like many others.
You’ll find those answers within yourself and my life coaching service is the ideal way to help you find those answers.
To explore more about relationships, and to find out more about the life coaching service in Birmingham that I provide why not enjoy a FREE Discovery Session? Start your journey and contact me now to book your free session.
