Focus On Family
Listening is the key to a happy family
Listening is the key to a happy family life.Focus on the Family when listening |
In your search for a balance between work and life there is perhaps one area of your life that should be at the top of any fix list you may compile. Focus on the Family!
That area is of course the family; this can be your immediate family, your extended family or even a family of friends. Getting the family aspect of your life right will help enormously in achieving and maintaining your life to work balance.
As with any relationship some work is needed to maintain its zest and life, putting in the work now, on the foundations of your family life will reap amazing rewards in the future.
Families have their own life force, their own energy; they are made up from many sets of beliefs and values. Beliefs and values, which have been instilled within us by the society, we live in, by our environments and by our own experiences. Each family is organic, it grows from within, each set of family values creates a different set of “Family Experiences” your experiences of family will be completely different to those of your work colleagues.
Your beliefs and values will occasionally conflict with those of your family members, again branching out into another set of experiences. These conflicts are often difficult to manage, we all have our own individual set of beliefs and values, those beliefs and values are mental maps through which we see the world, the conflict occurs because our reality is exactly that, ours.
How do we ensure that we are on the right track?
Because families are so diverse, with numerous sets of beliefs and values in play at any one time the most important thing to do is to Listen. Listening is a life skill, a life skill that can be obtained through practice and hard work.
Enjoy and have fun
Whilst it is important to listen, an equally important family event is fun and enjoyment, have fun with your kids, your partner, sisters and brothers, mums and dads, grans and grandads.
Actually having fun and enjoying yourself is not just for family members, it can be extended to work colleagues, having fun at work can ease stress and anxiety about deadlines, reports due, year end accounts published, no matter what the work or family issue is, remember to have fun and enjoy your life.
Just for you! as a starting point here is a daily cartoon from the cartoon stock company just to remind you laughter is indeed the best medicine.
Daily
Cartoon from CartoonStock.com
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Try this simple listening exercise
Why not try a simple exercise to get you started? The next time a family member talks to you, try not to interrupt the flow of the conversion with your interpretations of the subject, truly listen to what is being said, lean forward towards the speaker and really listen, don’t miss a single word.
At first this may seem awkward and uncomfortable, but the best communicators are those can truly listen. Do this exercise at every possible opportunity; it will become so much easier after each practice listening. The results will amaze you, and your family will love you all the more for listening, without judgment.
The family unit is a special unit, when times are tough they will more often than not be there for you, so as well as listening to your family, talking to your family is just as important.
If they understand that you are feeling a little stressed they will be more willing to understand and make certain allowances to ensure you get through the stressful situation. If your family is aware that you have a particularly important meeting or deadline that you have to make, your family is much more likely to make allowances in these circumstances, if they are not aware then they simply cannot help you.
The Number One Tip on Family Focus
Time is such a valuable commodity, and there never seems to be enough to go around. Perhaps the most difficult task of all is that of time management, sadly we cannot manage time, time happens and once it has happened we cannot do anything about that time that has been spent.
What we can do however is to be selective about what we spend our time on, we can choose the things that we do, we can decide if a time consuming activity is worthwhile or not. Focus your attention on your family frequently, have some family time, turn off the mobile/cell phone, shut down the e-mail, take some time out from the hectic schedules that we all have.
As the Dr Pepper commercial tells us….”What’s the worst that can happen”You may even surprise yourself, and actually enjoy yourself….go on give it a try….