reciprocation
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How to get what you want
“Whatever you want emotionally, you have to start giving away.” ~Mary Karr In her best-selling memoir, The Liar’s Club, Mary Karr chronicles her deeply troubled childhood and her descent into alcoholism. Published in 1995, the book’s raw emotional honesty and humor resonated with readers — and topped the NYT bestseller list for a year. At the heart of Karr’s message is a simple reminder for everyone: We must find the courage reach out for what we want — and stop expecting others to read our minds and automatically fulfill our needs. In other words, if you want honesty and authenticity in your relationships, be honest and authentic. If you want…
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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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The right balance
“Good relationships are built on mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual effort.” ~Mona Sutphen I once read an article by a therapist who suggested that “imbalance” is often at the root of relationship trouble. When any relationship feels off, the therapist advised, it helps to do a reality check and consider what could be out of balance. Am I talking more than listening? Am I taking more than giving? Am I initiating social activities or just waiting for someone to call me? Understandably, we all have times when we fall short of being present in the ways people need us. Then again, sometimes we expect more than someone can give…
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The case for generosity
“We receive as much as we are willing to give, in all manner of things.” ~Florence Scovel Shinn Cindy La Ferle __________ For social media sharing options and more content, please visit the home page.
