Building Better Bonds in 2024

Lets Figure Out Our Relationships as We Enter a New Year

The holiday season serves as a time for introspection and contemplation for many; as we say goodbye to another year and welcome the next one, it's natural to reflect on the choices we’ve made, goals we crushed, as well as those we flat-out missed. What I want you to include in this reflection of personal performance is the relationships you maintain in your life.

Connection with others can bring joy, support, and growth; they can also bring challenges and conflicts.

As we enter 2024, it's important to examine the relationships being maintained, as they will play a far greater role in your personal development than quite possibly anything else you focus on aside from your personal discipline and commitment to your goals. Relationships, be they personal or professional, will either elevate you to new achievements and heights, serving as fuel for growth, or they will be anchors that keep you from getting past the “level” you’re at.

Relationships are complex and multifaceted; like most things, once you figure them out, they’re the easiest things in the world.

The relationships you maintain with your spouse, children, friends, family, parents, coworkers, and others are influenced by a multitude of factors such as upbringing, culture, personal experiences, and individual personalities. Each person brings their unique perspective and baggage into a relationship, making it dynamic and ever-evolving. This complexity can make it hard to navigate, but it also offers immense potential for growth and connection.

In the same way, you’re sitting here, reading this, and walking away from it better aware of what’s happening around you in regards to others, understand that those “others” also have a world of shit they’re navigating in life, and if they aren’t talking or thinking about it, they’re going to be stuck, a year later, wondering why they can’t get ahead in life.

Photo by Ai Nhan on Unsplash

The year 2023 has been a turbulent one, to say the least.

The COVID-19 pandemic messed things up; we had Russia, another housing bubble, Trump, Biden, Ukraine, faux-variants, and inflation through the roof.

What I’ve been proud to see is my community, the Fraternity of Excellence, handling it all with relative ease. I look at my group, then zoom out and look at those I know in the “real world,” and I see that one of the major reasons we thrived while others barely survived is because, within FoE, we are strict in regard to how we work with others, and we are swift to enforce personal boundaries as well as remove the toxic individuals who find ways to infiltrate our personal walls.

The titles we give (friend, wife, brother) come with duties and responsibilities; this awareness of mine has further highlighted the importance of human connection and the significance of our relationships in relation to our quality of life.

As we head into a new year, I want you to take this opportunity to reflect on your relationships and identify areas where you can improve.

One crucial aspect of building healthier relationships is communication.

Effective communication involves not only expressing oneself but also actively listening and understanding the other person. We should strive to communicate openly and honestly, expressing our needs and boundaries while respecting those of others. In fact, this skill is so important I will be leading a Communication Challenge within the Fraternity of Excellence through the entire month of February.

Another vital aspect of building stronger relationships is empathy.

Empathy allows us to put ourselves in someone else's shoes and understand their perspective and emotions. It helps us to be more compassionate, patient, and understanding in our interactions with them, and practicing empathy can help us resolve conflicts and strengthen our connections.

Some people you have issues with may be the result of a misunderstanding; it’s important we don’t allow misinterpretations to destroy what could otherwise be mutually beneficial relationships.

In addition to communication and empathy, trust and respect are the building blocks of any healthy relationship.

Respecting each other's boundaries, choices, and differences is crucial in maintaining a positive dynamic. Fear of enforcing boundaries is a major hurdle many face and an area that should be given direct attention as we wrap up this year. Building mutual trust takes time and effort, but it is essential for a strong and lasting bond, which requires honesty, and that honesty will breed conflict.

Confrontation is not a bad thing, so long as it is held within a respectful manner and agreement that the ideas are being challenged, not the person.

As we enter 2024, we must do so with a genuine effort to improve our position in the next year, and we best do that by prioritizing self-care in our relationships.

Making your physical, mental, and emotional health the number 1 thing on your list of shit to handle will help you show up as your best self in all of your relationships. As my friend Anthony Migliorino always says, ”The King eats first”, I want y’all to be eating and crushing it in the coming year.

I go further into detail on how to do these things weekly within FoE, but if you drop a question in the comments, I’ll write about them here and turn them (if there’s enough) into a full-blown essay that breaks things down into easier-to-understand steps.

- Zac Small

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