WOMEN FOR WOMEN SENDING POSITIVE ENERGY YOUR WAY

One of the biggest challenges many people face that gets in the
way of them creating the kind of relationship they really want is
that they take on the attitude of "why even try" because getting
what they want seems so overwhelming.

It's been said that a journey of one thousand miles begins with a
single step. For some people who want to make their relationships
better and are overwhelmed, even that first step seems so difficult,
if not impossible.

With that in mind, we want to introduce you to a very simple shift in
thinking. If you apply it, this shift will help you create the kind of
love
and relationships that you really want.

Here's a totally unrelated example from our own lives to explain what
we're talking about...

Listening to good music has always been important to us and has
given us a great deal of pleasure.

Since we started buying recordings of music concerts of our favorite
artists
on dvd, we decided that we wanted to upgrade the sound on our
television.
The problem was--since we're in the middle of so many projects in our
relationship coaching business, most of the sound systems that we
heard in those specialty sound stores sounded great and we loved them
but they were also more money that we wanted to spend right now on a
sound system for our TV.

So, Otto, being the determined person that he is, researched equipment
and finally found a small sound system that suited our needs and budget
right now. After buying this sound system, we can really enjoy the
music
of our favorite artists the way we like to hear it.

Is it the best sound system? No, but it certainly is a step up from
what we
had before.

What does our new sound system have to do with creating great
relationships?

We did not give up and quit our dream of having a good sound system
for our television just because the ones we really liked seemed out of
reach right now.

We found a way to take a step toward having what we wanted and it
turned out to be a great improvement over what we had. The simple
shift we made was to take one satisfying step forward and appreciate
it.

You can do this with any of your relationships, no matter what kind
or in what shape they are in right now.

Start by taking a baby step. Discover what you want, make it a
priority in your life, take one step toward it and appreciate your
progress along with way.

Here's what we mean...

A common problem that many of our coaching clients and people who
write to us face is how to deal with a partner who they can't seem to
communicate with. Communication might have been easy at one time,
but now it seems strained and there is distance between the two people.

What's does it mean to take a baby step when there's a communication
"brick wall" between the two of you?

Of course, every relationship is different but there's a simple shift
you can make if you want to take a step toward better communication.

Notice one thing YOU do to stop the communication. Here are a few
examples:

*Do you multi-task when you or another person is talking?
*Does your mind wander when you're supposed to be listening?
*Do you immediately get defensive and make up stories about what the
person said without asking for clarification?
*Do you insist that you are right and the other person is wrong?
*Do you find yourself judging the other person?

Taking a baby step to better communication may be saying "Yes, I do
this and I'm willing to stop doing it for a week (or even a day) and
see what happens."

When you are successful at stopping your habits that get in the way
of your communication, make sure that you appreciate yourself for
what you've done.

Does this mean that the other person doesn't have any responsibility
to change? Of course not. If does mean that if you want changes to
happen in your relationships, you need to start by identifying what
is holding you back from what you want and then take a small step
toward it by changing "you."

Changes in relationships usually don't happen overnight but they do
happen if you begin making the shifts that will bring them about.

Go ahead-start reaching for what you want!