Building Relationships as Easy as 1-2-3

In life there are adders, subtractors, multipliers and dividers. Think about that as it relates to your life and images of people will begin populating your brain. "Adders" add value to your life, "Subtractors" take away value, "Multipliers" bring out more in you than you knew you had and "Dividers" are divisive people who create factions in your life. Is a clearer picture coming to mind of those people?

All of these people exist in your personal life as well as professional. They can be family members, best friends, professional colleagues and competitors - all can possess each mathematical characteristic. We may not always have control over who we associate with (for example, your Mom!), and yet we have a choice as to how we let them impact our behavior. We also know the type of person with whom we prefer to associate although our actions don't always match our desire.

Looking at it from another perspective, ask yourself this important question - how do you show up for others? Are you an adder, subtractor, multiplier or divider? Do you add value in some relationships and take from others? Are you consistent in your interactions with people who are close to you and those who are total strangers? Do some people simply matter more to you?

Research shows that doing good for others is also good for our mind and body, and yet, these days it seems we are more self-centered than ever. Every day we engage with people - personally and professionally - and yet how aware are we of what we bring to those relationships? How self-aware are you, and how self-aware do you want to be? As we close out the year ask yourself these questions and whether you want to be someone who adds, subtracts, multiplies or divides.

Thanks to Darin Lynch of Irish Titan, for inspiring this post, a true "adder" in my life!