Day 47 (Forty-seven) of 365 days
Accepting the bond implicit in relationships and defending the virtues upheld by our family and country. The virtue of loyalty is critical to every relationship we have in life that matters. This virtue helps us build better relationships with friends, colleagues, and eventually our spouses.
Loyalty is a critically important ingredient in both our business and personal lives. Are you doing enough to create more loyalty in your work and life? Knowing you have loyalty in a relationship is knowing that your family, friend or partner always has your back - and that you can count on them through thick and thin. This provides stability and a strong foundation that's imperative for any relationship to go the distance.
A good example in how this shows up in a relationship is when after a hectic day at work, your partner provides a sounding board to vent your feelings and emotions from the roller coaster you experienced. Therefore, the foundational characteristics of loyalty are respect, communication, affection, intimacy, vulnerability and compassion.
Loyalty is a beautiful alchemy of respect and reliability. It's the maturity in knowing that all relationships have their ebb and flaws, the good and not so good times. Are you going to just throw in the towel when things get rough? Or do you roll up your sleeves and figure out how to improve your relationship and truly be there for your friend or partner? The key to reliability is knowing unequivocally that you can always count on having each other's back.
Sometimes, when I come across individuals complaining about having friends or partners that aren't loyal, I tell them to meditate on the following statements; "Are you willing to give the last piece of the puzzle to give your friend clarity so they can know the big picture? Are you ready to expose yourself to being vulnerable in an attempt to help someone you love? Can you tell the truth instead of telling a lie or entrust them with confidential information?
Many of us want to possess what we can't give. Loyalty is meant to be reciprocal for it to work out well. You can't have what you can't give. Having millions of friends is not the miracle, the miracle is having a friend who can stand by you when millions of people are against you.
