4 Critical Phases Of Friendship And Business
by David Benton Get Rich the right way.
A wise man asked the question: What are the characteristics I should look for in a true friend or business partner? You may have asked the same question before. Most of us have wondered how we could have been so wrong, when choosing friends and business associates.
I will identify 4 critical phases that test friends and business partners, and what you need to look for in each.
1) When You Are Down
It is important to see how people react to you when you hit hard times. A true partner will be there for you. They will make sure they dust you off, and get you back on your horse. Remember that this goes both ways. You need to reach out to others in a bind to lend a helping hand. If your future partner in life or business avoids you, don’t invest too much time developing this relationship. You might try at a later date, but not at this season in your life. They will learn from the University of Hard Knocks, to be there for others.
2) When They Are Down
How do they react when the heat is on them? Do they continue to hold their head high with great expectations? It is important to keep a positive attitude when under fire. If they are not cut from this cloth, they can easily poison you with negativity. Just a few negative thoughts from important people in your life can erode your momentum. Do not underestimate the power of exposure. Exposing your sensitive mind to negative talk will halt your success faster than anything I know of. Avoid listening to, watching, or participating in negative talk.
3) When They Are Up
This is a very unique time to observe a person. I have seen friends who were sensitive to other’s needs and great friends, until they had some degree of success. Suddenly, they became arrogant and proud. They became difficult to be around. They seemed to know everything. We all gain knowledge over time. As we age, we gain much more knowledge and understanding than our younger or less hungry contemporaries. It is important that we restrain our knowledge and let others answer. You may know more than everyone else, but let someone else give the answers for your own humility. I have seen people full of pride and arrogance tear others dreams apart because they lost perspective. These people aren’t normally able to hold on to success for long. Others can’t stand to be around them long enough to accumulate anything.
4) When You Are Up
This is one of the more critical times to observe a potential friend or business partner. When things are going well for you, can they celebrate with you? You have seen this one. You finally start reaching some degree of success, and your “so called” friend suddenly becomes jealous. No longer are they able to pity you and help you out of the ditch. Now it’s different. They become jealous by your success and compare themselves to you. They have lost focus. Instead of celebrating because you are doing well and pushing you to greater heights, they want to tear you back down to where they are. Do not spend time with these people. If you continue to hang around them, they truly will bring you back down to a previous level of misery that you fought so hard to overcome.
In conclusion, you must observe people in all phases of life in order to fully assess their value. The best news of all is you can have it all. Mentally assess and separate your current friends and business associates into their proper categories. Do not call upon the jealous ones during your times of celebration. Do not talk about your successes around them. Remember who you are dealing with before you open your mouth. When you are down, you will know who to call on. When you are making out the invitations to celebrate your victory, choose carefully. If you find someone who passes the 4 phase test, stick to them like glue. They are truly rare, and a very mature. You can’t have too many associations like that.
Dr. Benton is author of Master Keys To Your Kingdom , a guide to unlocking your future success in all areas of your life and business. Join the BentonShare affiliate program and earn a 50% share of income plus a 10% second tier.
www.bentonbusinesstraining.com copyright 2008 Get Rich the right way
