Years ago someone shared an article with me titled “Only 3 Words” that reads as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are many things that you can do to strengthen your relationships. Often the most effective thing you can do involves saying just three words…The following three-word phrases can be tools to help develop every relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.Let me help 2. I understand you. 3.\u00a0 I respect you 4. I miss you<\/strong>. 5. Maybe you\u2019re right. 6. Please forgive me 7. I thank you. 8. Count on me 9. I\u2019ll be there \u00a010.\u00a0 Go for it B o n u s : 11. I love you I don’t know who wrote that article or where the person who shared it with me years ago came across it but I do know that its awesome! Amazing how just three little word phrases can impact our relationships in such a positive way. And may I suggest a #12 that could be added to the list? <\/p>\n\n\n\n #12. YOU ARE AWESOME! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>Good friends see a\nneed and then try to fill it. When they see a hurt they do what they can to\nheal it. Without being asked, they jump in and help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>People become closer\nand enjoy each other more when the other person accepts and understands them.\nLetting your spouse know \u2013 in so many little ways \u2013 that you understand\nthem, is one of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. And this\ncan apply to any relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Respect is another way of showing love. Respect demonstrates that another person is a true equal.\u00a0 If you talk to your children as if they were adults you will strengthen the bonds and become closer friends.\u00a0 This applies to all interpersonal relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nPerhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if couples simply and\nsincerely said to each other \u201cI miss you.\u201d This powerful affirmation\ntells partners they are wanted, needed, desired and loved. Consider how\nimportant you would feel, if you received an unexpected phone call from your\nspouse in the middle of your workday, just to say \u201cI miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>This phrase is very\neffective in diffusing an argument. The implication when you say \u201cmaybe\nyou\u2019re right\u201d is the humility of admitting, \u201cmaybe I\u2019m wrong\u201d. \nLet\u2019s face it. When you have an argument with someone, all you\nnormally do is solidify the other person\u2019s point of view. They, or you, will\nnot likely change their position and you run the risk of seriously \ndamaging the relationship between you. Saying \u201cmaybe you\u2019re right\u201d can\nopen the door to explore the subject more. You may then have the\nopportunity to express your view in a way that is understandable to the other\nperson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>Many broken\nrelationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes\nand ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and\nfailures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the\nwrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he\nwas yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>Gratitude is an\nexquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good,\nclose friends are those who don\u2019t take daily courtesies for granted. They are\nquick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the\nother hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often\ndo not have the attitude of gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>A friend is one who\nwalks in when others walk out. Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true\nfriendship. It is the emotional glue that bonds people. Those that are\nrich in their relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles\ncome, a good friend is there indicating \u201cyou can count on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>If you have ever had\nto call a friend in the middle of the night, to take a sick child to hospital,\nor when your car has broken down some miles from home, you will know how good\nit feels to hear the phrase \u201cI\u2019ll be there.\u201d Being there for another person is\nthe greatest gift we can give. When we are truly present for other people,\nimportant things happen to them and us. We are renewed in love and\nfriendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is\nat the very core of civility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>We are all unique individuals. Don\u2019t try to get your friends to conform to your ideals.\u00a0 Support them in pursuing their interests, no matter how far out they seem to you.\u00a0 God has given everyone dreams, dreams that are unique to that person only. Support and encourage your friends to follow their dreams.\u00a0 Tell them to \u201cgo for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person\u2019s deepest emotional needs. The need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your spouse, your children, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words: \u201cI love you.\u201d Love is a choice. You can love even when the feeling is gone. \u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n