Are You Building Walls or Bridges?

 By Dr. Lori Baker-Schena

“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” – Isaac Newton

One of the many gifts of growing older is all of the relationships we make as the years pass by – both personally and professionally.  I believe humans are natural “bonders” – we bond with friends, lovers, family members, significant others, our co-workers … and of course our pets. Some of these relationships nourish us, others hurt us – but the bottom line is that relationships make us human.

More often than not, our moods and our energy are directly linked to these relationships. When relationships are running smoothly, when we are being nurtured and are nurturing others, life is joyful. And when relationships go south, which happens on a regular basis, the world suddenly turns very dark.

The importance of building bridges and connecting with others during our lifetimes cannot be emphasized enough – relationships are what move us forward, give us support, light our way … and if we are lucky enough, relationships bring us great joy.

As we move through this journey, we should take the opportunity to reach out to others and continually build new bridges while nourishing our long-time relationships. Building a community of support allows us to amplify our joyful times and strengthen us when the going gets tough.

Building Bridges In Our Personal Lives

Three key rules:
1.     Don’t take each other for granted.
2.     Be PRESENT when you are with each other.
3.     Let respect and trust be the foundation of your relationship.

Building Bridges In Our Professional Lives

Three key rules:
1.     Be kind and generous with your time, compliments and experience.
2.     Always take the high road – no matter what the challenges.
3.     Base your relationship on mutual respect and mutual trust.

Relationships are tricky and challenging. They can bring us the highest highs, and sink us down to the depths of misery. Yet I believe that the potential for joy outweighs the risk of disappointment in any relationship – which is why we must continue to build bridges to others, even when our natural inclination may be to build a wall.

Dr. Lori Baker-Schena is the founder and chief executive officer of Baker Schena Communications, a firm dedicated to “Unleashing Your Potential Through the Power of Words.” We offer motivational speaking, leadership consulting and medical writing services. Find us at www.loribakerschena.com