How to be a friend quotes
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Pure generosity
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” ~John Wooden My mom was a stickler for good manners, and “reciprocate” was an active verb in her vocabulary. Whenever she was invited to someone’s home for dinner (and whenever she received a gift) she took care to return the favor. She was secretly disappointed when others didn’t follow the same rules of etiquette. While reciprocation is a lovely thing, it took me years to fully appreciate the concept of paying it forward. As today’s quote reminds us, the true spirit of generosity is giving a gift or doing a favor…
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An invitation
“A real conversation always contains an invitation. You are inviting another person to reveal herself or himself to you, to tell you who they are or what they want.” ~David Whyte I love the way poet David Whyte reminds us that “real conversation” invites an honest exchange between people. But thanks in part to social media platforms, we often talk at each other — mostly about ourselves and our own interests — rather than with each other. When was the last time you were invited to reveal something about yourself? How often have you held a conversation in which the other person asked how you’re doing … and paused to…
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How to be yourself
Photo by Cindy La Ferle “Whenever you choose to pull back, say less, or restrain your magnificence to survive in a relationship, this spells trouble. The next opportunity you have to spend time with this person, ask yourself: Will I have to shrink to make this work, or is this a situation where I can grow?” ~Marc Chernoff Today’s quote got me thinking about being authentic in our relationships. Of course, there’s a huge difference between being brutally honest and expressing our truth with tact and diplomacy. But how often do we refrain from saying what we really think in order to keep the peace — or to ensure that others will like us?…