– Steve Maraboli
For years, I struggled to get along with a family member who was endlessly stirring up drama and flying into rages. One moment she could be delightfully charming and pleasant, but the next, she would find or invent some reason to start screaming. I think it was the fact that she could be so wonderful that kept me hanging in there: I was determined to find a way to create a positive, loving relationship with her. I would always turn the other cheek and bend over backward to accommodate her, soothe her when she was upset, go out of my way to show her that her feelings were important to me, etc. Sometimes, it seemed like my efforts were working, and then WHAM! Out of the blue, she would fly into battle mode. Eventually, I realized that I was giving more of my time and energy to trying to get along with her than I was to all the good-natured people in my life. That’s when I realized that I was the crazy one! When I let go of trying to turn that lion into a lamb and just focused on all the relationships that felt good and flowed smoothly, she immediately fell right out of my experience. If what we want is love and harmony, we are wise to invest our time and energy in loving the lovers life sends our way.