How Unprepared We are for Life

I was talking with a friend of mine yesterday & he was describing to me how unhappy he is in his current living situation. He express how his sister-in-law lives with him, his wife & 2 children. He also expressed how unhappy he is about it. Its a common story that many have. She has run into a bad situation. Her big sister told her it is ok if she moves in with the family. And my friend, the husband of the big sister is miserable. Its funny, because when I asked him what the problem is, it sounded very simple to me. In short, he could not communicate to her, because he is not that great at communicating. He went on to say how he knows if he says anything he will put his foot in his mouth.

I love my friend to death, but the guy sounded so helpless that he prompted me to an idea that really sparked something in me. I thought to myself, how unprepared we are for life. The typical person grows up & forms a set of habits that are a combination of our parents and/or the people in our primary living situation. So in essence, we are our parents, however, much we want to deny it. And the typical parent is busy wrapped up in their life, work, desires, need to get away, etc. Now that is not to say that our parents were not loving, caring & providing. It is simply to say, that life is happening while they are raising us.

So, the extent of interpersonal communication skills our parents teaches us is what they know. And unless you have some enlightened parents, you may pick up a door slamming habit, yelling habit, or the like. Well what my buddy was describing to me is that he was never taught to effectively communicate with people about subjects that he is either currently or was emotional about. Well, I'm not saint. I grew up just like my friend, around parents who always did their best to raise me, but my dad wasn't Tony Robbins either.

It brought me back to how important it is for me to be responsible for my own life. It pointed out to me how self improve is just that. It is an opportunity for me to develop myself. Most importantly, it pointed out to me that if I'm not happy with my current situation in anyway, if I don't feel my inner peace, it is up to me to take that on in my own life.

Just by practicing a new habit for about 15 to 20 minutes a day, I can make a whole world of a difference in my life. Whether it me communicating as in my friends case or whether it be eating less instead of the new fad diet, consistency is the key for our preparation in life. The more consistently we take on the challenges of our life, the more prepared we will be for our next challenge.