Ange. Yeshua. xedgex.
I find myself all over the country following God's call to love mankind.

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The brightest diamond;

They tell me I'm crazy, but You told me I'm golden.

Christ knew three of his closest friends and apostles would betray him, deny him and doubt him, but He still chose to invite them to his very last dinner, love them and forgive them. I really want that to be a model for how I treat and love the people around me. Unconditional love, no matter what.

Regardless the type of work you do and how amiable you are as a person, I can almost guarantee that you will eventually be in a situation where you have to work with someone you don’t like. It could be a coworker at your job, an employee or team member of a client, the manager of a business, or a teacher.

The dynamics may change, but the factors that comprise the interpersonal relationship are the same across all situations, and when animosity enters the mix it can be a challenge to keep the relationship civil and productive. This is where emotional intelligence comes into play.

Here are some actions you can take to develop your emotional intelligence so all of your relationships, including the difficult ones, are more productive.
  • Look at yourself honestly and commit to specific areas of self-improvement.
  • Think through the possible impact of your words before you speak.
  • Avoid judging the actions of others before you have all of the facts.
  • Be accountable for what you do and follow through on what you say you will do.
  • Listen to opposing viewpoints and admit when you are wrong.
  • Praise others and give credit where credit is due.
  • Analyze your common emotions in times of stress, and work to control them.
  • Be consistently and genuinely respectful.
  • Curb negative thoughts and work to foster optimism.
  • Work at becoming a better listener.
  • Agree to disagree with those who have incompatible beliefs.

The reality is that loving your neighbor as yourself begins with you. You must love and value yourself if you are to love others. You have to respect yourself and acknowledge your own self-worth. You must take care of yourself so that you can love and help your neighbor.

Does this make you selfish? No. It makes you responsible.

We have the infinite capacity to recieve and an infinite capacity to love. All too often we fail to acknowledge the  light that has been instilled in us. When we don’t see our gift, our true self, we become desperate to take love from others in an attempt to satisfy our needs. You and every other person on this planet are inextricably linked, we are all parts of the same body.  Just as you cannot cut off your own hand and spare the rest of your body the repercussions, you cannot withhold your love from one another without affecting the whole of humanity. 

Do you ever feel let down by the people whom you befriended? Are you frequently disappointed by circumstances in which you gave so much of yourself? If you answered “yes” to the preceding questions, chances are your positive actions were contingent on your recieving some form of benefit down the road.

We frequently befriend others or perform favors with a hidden agenda. The friendship we offer is usually conditional, without us even realizing it. We want something in return. It might be social standing, a loan, a favor; their attention, or their love.

When we give unconditional love and perform genuine actions of sharing, joy  comes from our giving- not from what we want in return. The givers gives. Period. Givers derive their pleasure from the unconditional act of pure sharing, expecting nothing.