I have always looked upon relationships as a privilege that one has—something I recently forgot. At the core of our relationships, in my mind, is trust and respect. Both of those have to be earned. If you help enough people get what they want, you’ll always find what you want. As I seek to cultivate and develop relationships, I attempt to discover what I have in common with another person. What is it that I can share? And how can I help this person?

No matter a person’s reputation or accolades, everyone has specific needs, even psychological needs. We all require truth-tellers in our life. In building relationships, I endeavour to make sure that I surround myself with people who want to grow while finding unique ways to contribute and bring value to their lives.

I tend to spend most of my time with younger people who inspire me and who I can have a partnership with. When I hang around people my age, or older, conversations have a tendency to revert to the past. As I continue to learn, my daily mission is to discover what I don’t know but need to know, and how these insights will help me stay relevant in this ever-changing world. Youth impart us with a reminder to continue learning.

What did I forget recently? Relationships must encompass a WE mentality, not a ME fixed mindset. Focus your time and energy on developing win-win situations. As we nurture our relationship with care, love, patience and sweat equity, they will blossom.

Be you be unique, and share your smile.

-Brian Nadon

www.VaticFoundation.com