No matter how much you attempt to progress professionally, it has no direct benefit on your ability to attract and experience love. It doesn’t matter how many meetings you lead, how many deals you close, or how many business problems you solve.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve heard news come out about the failed marriages of politicians, athletes, entertainers, pastors, and various business leaders. Unfortunately, their million-dollar net worth had no impact on their ability to save their marriages. The reality is, no matter how much money you have you can’t buy true love.
As I sit back and think about the people in my life who have been able to successfully navigate the peaks and valleys of marriage, it truly comes down to a few key principles:
- Learn the art of friendship. Today’s society has created a cart before the horse mentality in the minds of those seeking relationships. We have been trained to identify someone whom we are attracted to, talk on the phone for a couple of days, go out to dinner and a movie, and then pursue an intimate relationship. Unfortunately, this formula has led us to a culture of practicing divorce. Because we haven’t built a solid friendship with the person we are pursuing an intimate relationship with, it’s very easy to abort ship when things in the relationship start to go awry. True friendship keeps you anchored during trying times. This principle works for the CEO who makes millions of dollars or for the blue-collar worker who makes minimum wage.
- Learn the art of communication. There are a number of reasons cited for the cause of divorce. Whether you believe the reason is money, infidelity, or something else, it really comes down to the inability to communicate. Communication is the key to resolving many of the issues experienced in life and in relationships. I recently conducted a webinar on The 5 Love Languages written by Dr. Gary Chapman. The major lesson learned from the study was no matter how hard you try, if you don’t speak the love language of the person you’re with, you’ll have issues. Research shows the one common denominator in marriages lasting more than 40 years is healthy communication. There is no income bracket for learning the art of communication; we all have the ability to incorporate this principle in our lives.
- Learn the art of sacrifice. Great relationships are made up of two people willing to sacrifice for one another. Neither person has to always get his or her way in the relationship. Sacrifice communicates to the other person that you would rather see their needs met than to personally get your way. Now imagine when you have two people operating under this same principle, it makes for AMAZING relationships. You can tell what kind of relationship you are potentially entering into by observing the person’s willingness to sacrifice. Proceed with caution if the person you’re dating demonstrates a need to always get their way in the relationship. Sacrifice isn’t something money can buy, it’s something built into the character of a person.
It’s great that our society continues to chase prosperity along with a desire to leave legacies of wealth for the next generation. However, if we are to address the desire for more healthy relationships and marriages, we need more people pursuing the art of relationships.
Kenny Pugh is a Life & Relationship Strategist, Author of ‘Can You Do It Standing Up?’, Speaker, HLN Contributor, sought-after speaker on finances, singleness, relationships and life. He is also the visionary behind KTP Financial, LLC (www.ktpfinancial.com). You can find more information about Kenny at www.kennypugh.com. Also, follow him on Facebook at Kenny Pugh, on Twitter @mrkennypugh and on YouTube at Kenny Pugh.