What if you could make all your interactions healthier and stronger? With your boss, co-workers, kids, friends, neighbours, family, or spouse. That is possible… if you\u2019re willing to comprise. The key to having better relationships as an adult is a skill you probably learned back in kindergarten. However, most of us lose our meet-in-the-middle sensibilities as we get older and grow fond of our set ways.<\/p>\n
In the name of peace and harmony, it\u2019s useful to take a refresher on how to make everyone\u2014including you\u2014a little happier when conflict arises. Remember it isn\u2019t about giving up everything you want; it\u2019s about being willing to let go of something, and convincing the other person to do the same, so everyone walks away satisfied. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n
Set your terms<\/strong> Tell a story<\/strong> Be the nicest version of yourself<\/strong> What if you could make all your interactions healthier and stronger? With your boss, co-workers, kids, friends, neighbours, family, or spouse. That is possible… if you\u2019re willing to comprise. The key to having better relationships as an adult is a skill you probably learned back in kindergarten. However, most of us lose our meet-in-the-middle sensibilities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[176,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-balance","category-mindful-living-en-nl"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\nCompromising means that you are not getting everything you want, so figure out your must-haves. For example, if you feel like you and your spouse are on different money planets (you are a saver and your spouse is a spender), don\u2019t ask your spouse to cut back entirely. Instead, ask him or her to identify only a few areas he or she would be OK to spend less on and offer to have a joint splurge from time to time.<\/p>\n
\nResearch has suggested that people are more likely to respond to an idea when it\u2019s illustrated by a good story. So if you\u2019re trying to teach your kids to be more charitable, skip the preaching and share a specific, real-life bedtime story of how people you know reached common ground. Bonus points if the lead character in the story is you.<\/p>\n
\nThere are lots of other small adjustments you can make when proposing a compromise to make the idea more acceptable. Avoid finishing sentences with a slight raise in your tone, which suggests indecisiveness. Friendly eye contact and smiling signal that you empathize with the other person and are suggesting a reasonable alternative. Flattery does help. A study found that in a challenging compromise situation \u2013 buying a used car \u2013 compliments eased tensions and were effective. Start your negotiation by skipping the car talk and first telling the owner what a wonderful family he or she has, the study authors suggested.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"