3 High-Caliber Relationships That Matter Most

Do you have a lot of friends—but when you need them the most, you find yourself alone? If so, it’s time to reconsider your relationships.

Think about who you spend the most time with: Family, friends, and coworkers. Do they add value to your life—and do you reciprocate? In a fly-high life, quality means much more than quantity. When it comes to your inner circle, you need to grow high-caliber relationships.

Take a Moment to Reflect Upon Your Relationships

You’ve heard the phrase, “You are judged by the company you keep.” It’s loosely attributed to Aesop, the Bible, and my grandmother—who always said:

“Show me who you spend time with and I’ll show you what you’ll turn into.”

Our elders often used that saying to limit our circle of friends when we were teenagers. I resented it back then. But today, I can’t blame them for creating boundaries. I now also realize the truth of what they were trying to tell me: We are a reflection of our friends. If they’re mean, judgmental and gossipy—we will be, too. At the very least, we’ll allow ourselves to get caught up in their drama.

Is that healthy? Does it add value—to anything?

It might be time to take an inventory of each relationship and how it makes you feel. Are your friends’ and relatives’ intentions authentic and transparent? Are they supportive, understanding, and nurturing? Do you feel the same about them?

If you’re feeling stuck, it might be because of relationship problems.

Nurture a Healthy Relationship with Yourself and Protect Your Personal Space

If you’ve ever felt a tinge of toxicity among friends, you might need to rethink them. You have free choice—and you’re allowed to be selective about with whom you spend your valuable time. You have the power to decide who deserves to be in your life, who’s allowed to influence how you feel, and what you think and do.

How do you get there? Start by developing a healthy and strong relationship with yourself; one in which your personal space is sacred. Take all that power back from those who’ve sapped it and left you empty. Then, carefully select only those people who treat you with respect, dignity, and positivity to join your inner circle. Your highest-caliber relationships will start evolving naturally when you honor your personal space.

3 Types of High-Caliber Relationships

There are three categories that can define our most positive relationships: “Door Openers,” “Guiding Lights,” and “Safety Nets.”

• “Door Openers” are the people who take chances on us and are willing to put themselves and their reputation out there to help us find important opportunities.
• “Guiding Lights” are there for us when we feel overwhelmed and need perspective. They show up when we need their sage advice.
• “Safey Nets” are special people; they’re hard to come by. They’re the ones who extend a hand, willingly and lovingly, to help us get through those inevitable rough patches in life.

Remember, too, that to get high-caliber relationships, you have to be willing to give high-caliber relationships back. It’s a two-way street—and there’s a lot of driving! Be proactive in nurturing these relationships, so they’ll be there for you when you need them most. Think of this give-and-take as if your soul is a well—filling up with laughter, love, and positivity while enabling others to dip into your supply for their happiness, too.

When we proactively nurture these friendships across our professional, personal, social, and spiritual relationships, the quality of our own lives will be elevated significantly.

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Need help developing a daily practice for determining and nurturing high-caliber relationships? Learn more—and take a guided visualization with Ave, the most loving of the 7 Flying Cows—in “Fly High!” available now through Amazon and Smashwords.