So I may have not shared this from the get-go, but Mondays and Fridays are my days of rest. I am supposed to do nothing or a bit of recovery- like a walk or stretching. So today instead of talking about my running, I would like to share what I have been learning from my leisure-read book titled “Winning with People” by John C. Maxwell. So far I have read two of his books and have 3 others that I purchased that I plan on reading.
The chapter I want to share is titled- the High Road Principle. To give you a bit of background concerning the book, it is not about how to win with people through manipulation but how to better interact with others by being more open-minded and receptive to the differences in people through the use of working on your own character. Most of you can probably guess what the chapter “The high road principle” covers such as rising above in tough circumstances. The author breaks it down this way….” We can take
The low road- where we treat others worse than they treat us
The middle road- where we treat others the same as they treat us
The high road- where we treat others better than they treat us
He goes on to state that the low road damages relationships and alienates others, while the middle road doesn’t necessarily drive people away but doesn’t draw people to us either. The high road aids in the creation of positive relationships and draws people to us. He went on to share a quote from a newscaster- “ A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him”. I really enjoyed this chapter because its something that I struggle with. I would say that I usually fall under the “middle road” with rarity of the other two options. I drew my own conclusions from this chapter because as I am training you learn that while the hills (or high roads) are more strenuous and difficult it is how you built stamina and grow in strength. The same goes for the spiritual and emotional component when you decide to take the “high road” in a circumstance. It is almost never easy because it goes against our human nature to be justified and right (even when we are wrong…..DANG that PRIDE!).
The author shared a story that I really liked which Id like to share…its something I hope to take into marriage…
The story a grandmother going into her golden wedding anniversary tells the secret of her marriage-
“On my wedding day, she said, “I decided to make a list of ten of my husband’s fault that, for the sake of the marriage, I would overlook.” As the guests were leaving , a young wife asked the older woman to name some of the faults that she overlooked. “To tell you the truth,” said the grandmother, “I never did get around to making the list. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, ‘Lucky for him that’s one of the ten!”
“Because the high road is uphill, no one travels it by accident!”
In closing, it’s the hardships in life that really help form and fashion us into the children God designed us to be. Its best to look at hardship as a chance to grow and become an even better person that resembles God more. The best thing about hardship is we are NEVER alone when we go through it. We can have the attitude that we are alone, but God is always with us. He “never leaves nor forsakes us” and He never gives us something that we can’t handle!
Well that’s all for today!
Reference: Winning with People by John C. Maxwell, The High Road Principle, p221-223.
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