The Power of Relationships in Life Training

Twenty-two year old Albert Einstein and like-minded friends met regularly in each other's homes or took long hikes, and sometimes they talked all the way through the night. These proverbial conversations had an enormous impact on his future work. The group dedicate for academic pursuits was ''The Olympia Academy.''

The world’s richest philanthropist Bill Gates met often with other computer geeks when he was fifteen years old, entitled ''The Lakeside Programmers Group.''

A notable Benjamin Franklin met every Friday for decades on end with a diverse group of civic-minded thinkers called ''Junto.'' Many of his great accomplishments were a result of cross-pollination from this group. Ideas beget ideas from great thinkers.

C.S. Lewis met with a group called ''The Inklings,'' twice a week.  They often spent their evenings reading their manuscripts aloud to get input from each other.

The collaboration of several minds produces infinite wisdom waiting to be harnessed than the sum of these same minds working separately. Are you letting synergy work for you  ... or do you go it alone? We all need the synergy and creativity that comes with relationships!  The “whole” really is, more than the sum of all the parts!

A three-fold cord is not easily broken!  Unity builds confidence and durability!

The laws of nature entails such a notion time and time again which has been repeated all through history! Here are some examples.

A few winters ago, heavy snows hit North Carolina. Following a wet, six-inch snowfall, it was interesting to see the effect along Interstate 40. Adjacent to the highway stood several large groves of tall, young, pine trees. The branches were deformed due to the heavy snow, almost seemingly bending over to the side.

Unfortunately on parts where the trees were stood a far from each other was a sight for sore eyes. The branches had become heavier and heavier. Since there are no trees to lean against the branches snapped. They lay on the ground, dark and alone in the cold snow.  They ... are like people ... they need support.

I’ve read a story once on the subject of a certain kind of mushroom that grows in the barren deserts of Arizona. Pods of these spores gregariously pop up almost everywhere.  Strangely they are all far apart. Alone and solitary there was no reason for them to survive in these dire conditions.

But strangely, something beautiful is going on underground.  These mushrooms lengthily sent out their roots systems covering a great distance.  As a matter o fact, they do so until they encounter another of their species.  They then bind their root systems together. This is happening for miles and miles. They all “hook up” and link together, in order to survive amidst these harsh conditions.  So, when some of then get rain ... they all get rain! Their “relationships” are paramount to their survival.

This same principle applies to us; “relationships” are paramount to your survival. You absolutely need other people!  Here’s one more example!

I used to be confused when I would hear reports on the news about earthquakes.  They would say  ... this quake measured 6.6 on the Richter Scale. They would show tremendous damage.  I’d seen reports before on a 5.6 earthquake that caused minimal damage.  I wondered why a 6.6 was so much more destructive than a 5.6!

A little research opened the door to my understanding. A Richter Scale number is exponential in relationship to the number before it. Each number goes up ten fold.  Here’s what I mean. A 4 is ten times as strong as a 3.  So a 6.6 is 10 times as strong as a 5.6. Or 10 times as powerful ... to the tenth power, if that makes sense.

I remember an ancient text that said ... one would put 1000 to flight but two could put 10,000 to flight.  That sounded just like the Richter Scale.  So, I don’t believe I’m stretching it when I say that 2 people working in unity are not twice as strong ... they are 10 times as strong.  Again... it is an accepted maxim that the whole is much stronger than the sum of the parts.

Relationships are vital not only to our success ... but to our very lives as well.

Throughout the course of history alliances are vital for a kingdom to survive... This keenly applies to us both personal and professional.  In times of war we depend on our allies to watch our back.  We need to have people in our lives that will “get in the foxhole” with us.  When the bombs of life are dropping ... when the sun isn’t shining ... when the fair weather friends are heading for the hills… we really find out who we have a strong relationship with.  When they rise to the surface, we need to celebrate them.  We need to cultivate that relationship because when it is forged in the pit of adversity it will stand the test of time.

          But one thing to keep in mind you must see to it that those people you build relationships with are truly worthy of your time and effort.

         Work on your relationships!  They are worth it!  Another Life Course to

work on not only building skills but building a solid foundation for success.  Work

it out.