“To have a friend and be a friend is what makes life worthwhile.” ~Unknown
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A good foundation doesn't require any special training or education.
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Build A Life Team
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
Being your own friend is not a license for self-indulgence when you are part of a team of friends who care about each other. A group is a set of people interacting. A team is more than just a group. A team is specialbecause it has shared goals and mutually understood roles. A successful sports team winsbecause each player knows their role. Success is definedas winning.
A successful life team consists is a network of win-win relationships that fosteroutcomes that benefit everybody. How do we assure that every relationship can function as a team that “wins” in the sense that it successfully meets its goals? One way is to be aware that the teamsand teamwork discussed earlier are not just importantat work, they are importantin every aspect of life.
Many of the teamsthat are important to you are dyads, two-person teams consisting of you and one other person. Even in a two-person relationship, the doctrine of the four Ts is relevant. The more talking (¨this is what I think we should do¨), training (¨please show me how you would like me to do this¨), and thankingthat happens, the more likely it is that the team will “win,” i.e., reach the goals everyone is striving to achieve.
Having a good laugh with others is also a great team building exercise. The value of laughter is no joke. Most people would tell you that laughter helps them relax, feel better and think better. The scientific explanation for this is that laughter release endorphins and other chemicals into our bloodstream.
We don’t reallyneed scientists to tell us that it feels good to laugh, and also to make others laugh along with us. Life is there for us toenjoy if we learnhow to do it. A good laugh with friends can serve as a counter-balance to the stress and anxiety everyone has to deal with. Some writers advocate a habit like “Take 10 minutes each day to have fun and laugh.”
We share a good laugh when someone tells a joke or funny story. It also happens spontaneously when people see the humor in a situation. Either way, laughing can improve performance and health. Laughter is, to make what seems like an unavoidable pun, a serious matter. There is even a science of laughter—Gelotology,from the Greek gelos, meaning laughter. It examines the causes of humor and laughter, as well as the physiological mechanisms associated with it.
Research shows that laughter relaxes muscles, releases pleasure-stimulating endorphins, stimulates breathing, and relieves stress. In some instances, it appears to improve clinical outcomes for cancer and other diseases. Aside from this scientific evidence, it is difficult to disagree with the proposition that laughter is a good thing. Walt Disney said, “Laughter is America’s most important export.”
Your life team is more than a network of people. It is a safety net of sorts. Team building takes time and energy. As you deal with a person in different situations, you get better at interpreting their thoughts from their body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal clues using the emotional intelligence to be discussed shortly. The more you know the people you relate to, and the more they know you, the stronger the safety net of relationships becomes. The quote from Helen Keller is true: we do more together than alone. You are building, not just a life team, but a winning life team.
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