Leveraging Relationships

Mike Murdock once observed, "You are always one conversation away to a changed life." I put it this way, "You are always one relationship away to a changed life." Nothing in nature grows, progress, or develop independently. The food chain and the water cycle perfectly illustrates how each member depends on another to survive or stay functional. The same paradigm applies to us as a human being. We move forward in relative to the quality of people or the relationships we build or cultivate. 

​All of God's creation is dependent on external influences to survive. Humans get oxygen from nature and in return gives back carbon dioxide. Plants get nutrients from the soil while the soil also is fertilized by decomposed plants. Inter-dependency is the model for God's creation. Your success or the lack of it has so much to do with how well you can cultivate, manage, and foster quality relationships.

Take an inventory of all your phone contacts, your social media friends or followers, families, and acquaintances, then write down at least 5 to 10 most influential people on that list, then see how you can leverage on those 'exclusive few' in the achievement of your goals. The moral is, everybody has something that somebody else's needs. There is power in your network if you are willing to invest in it and leverage it. As Stephen R. Covey once says, "Building and repairing relationships are long-term investments."

Relationships are like bank accounts, we unconsciously make deposits into them daily and we also make withdrawals. Every act of kindness, care, love, concern, and checking up, you extend to someone else are deposits you are making into your 'relationship account.' The challenge is, most people want a withdrawal when they are yet to make a deposit.

 It is important also to learn how to create a balance between leveraging relationships and not becoming an opportunist. You need to realize every demand you make off of people gradually depletes your 'relational account.' If you always position yourself at the receiving end of every relationship, sooner or later, you will be portrayed in a negative light, that you are only out there to get, not give. Obey the law of reciprocation when relating to people. Let the pendulum of kindness always swing back and forth.

Your network is your net worth. Don't bankrupt your relational equity. "You will always rise and fall on the quality of people you surround yourself with." T.D Jakes once says, relationships are more important than revenue, invest in the former, it always pays huge dividends.

 We are always one chat away, one friend away, or one relationship away to getting whatever we want in life. In-between your present reality and your imaginary future are people and relationships you need to nurture and cultivate. Stay clear from casual, unproductive, and mindless association, invest in meaningful, and productive relationships, it always pays off.

To build your relational equity, give genuine compliments. Check up on people and ask how they are doing. Let them know you are thinking about them. Your colleague bought a new car, congratulate him and tell him you are happy for him. Your friend passes his exam tell him how proud you are of his accomplishment. 
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Leave an impression in people's hearts that there's someone (you) out there who truly cares. Maya Angelou has rightly said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”