July 31, 2014
Communicating in Close Relationship Please take the time out of your busy day and sit down for a good hour. Jot down some of the things that you have experience well in your relationship and some things that need improvement. Now, you ask why I should do this. Well, it is simple; you need a map of how you want to improve your skills. Try not to focus on the negative feedback that you encounter, but rather on the things you can improve on and how you can become more aware of them when you are interacting in close proximity.
Take for example the chart list below. These of are some of the things I saw in myself. Good Traits | Needs Improvement | Listening | Not able to express clearly in words | Sensitive to my partner feelings (can relate) | Temperament | A desire to help my partner (wanting to solve) | Take over & fix myself | Did not talk much | Did not use correct vocabulary |

Now, see the improvements – take a look at before and where I am today. (Same heading from the previous chart.) Patience | Language & culture differences | Able to separate my emotions and thoughts | Becoming more selective of who & whom I share | Chose the surroundings (Setting) | Knowing the place and time for holding conversation | Selective on the vocabulary words being use & with | Learning more – education- expanding outwardly | Did not talk too much & listen with open mind | Choosing what I listen & provide advice |

With the initial chart, it help me see what I was already doing and what I wanted to improve on, and the second chart showed me additional building blocks to add to my already skills. Yes, make your goals small and then add to them. We all need to build; but remember to build a good foundation for you can build on top of it.
"If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning