The Law of Reciprocity
Remember the Golden Rule? It’s the credo we learned as children, reminding us to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us.
It’s also referred to as the Law of Reciprocity.
Many of us agree that the Golden Rule sounds great in theory. Over time, however, we discover that people around us don’t always abide by it. Perhaps we don’t abide by it, either.
My previous podcast on Respect feeds right into this latest subject. The Golden Rule invites us to delve into the nebulous and often challenging arena of interpersonal relationships. Within this current podcast, I share how I’ve endeavored to employ The Golden Rule on personal and professional fronts, and offer a final tale that might greatly surprise and inspire you, too!
If you’ve ever pondered why the world behaves the way it does, and wondered what can be done to turn it around, tune in for a listen.
Expect to be challenged and think afresh and anew. More than that, expect to operate as a potential world changer as you increase your peace and happiness while you’re paving a way to the peace and happiness of others!
Finally, listen in as Patti Mocco shares what makes her happy from the inside out, too.
Click here or on the bar below to listen to Podcast 122: The Golden Rule.
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Maura is a Speaker on Influence, Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
Visit Maura’s Author page for her 2017 Art of Happiness series
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Hello Maura,
Like most people, I would normally start this comment by asking, “Do you remember me?” However, I don’t have to ask that because I know you do… ;o)
I’m the one who stayed late after the third session and spent time chatting with you and Bobbi.
After I have a meaningful conversation with someone, I enjoy sending an email regarding the main points of our conversation to the other party. So, below are some of the points I remember concerning our dialogue. [As a side note, it’s interesting that although I am a detail-oriented person, I have the ability to “see” and relate to concepts (which usually involve generalizations or the “big picture”). Thus, I am a paradox!]
Integrity = transparency = having nothing to hide; being real/honest when no one else is around; not being afraid to let others into your “bubble” because you live a life that is inclusive; giving rather than taking.
This concept also involves not feeling the need to wear a mask around different peer groups because you are “comfortable in your own skin”. This is a huge deal because humanly speaking, we want (maybe I should say, we “need”) others to accept us. We crave acceptance and, thus, we play a role (we become actors) around different peer groups because of a false sense of self-worth. We don’t value ourselves, so we believe no one else values us either. Hence, we must “perform” for others to accept us. We become someone different than who we really are in order to gain the acceptance we so “desperately” desire.
A person of integrity, a person who is transparent, however, doesn’t allow the need for acceptance to become greater than the need to be one’s self. To be true to yourself, to not compromise who you are, and still be able to value others is unique in today’s world. Would I be going “too far” in saying that this epitomizes unconditional love? A person of integrity is so comfortable with who they are, they don’t feel threatened by who “you are”. Thus, they can give instead of take; they can let others into their bubble since there is no perceived threat from someone different than them; their happiness is not predicated upon “acceptance”, but upon “being”.
Like you, my wife and I enjoy meeting other people. We do not shrink from being challenged and hearing new ideas or just chatting. Like I mentioned in our conversation the other day, everyone has a story and we genuinely appreciate other people’s stories. My point is that if you and your husband would like to get together with me and my wife in the future, we are open to that. No pressure, no guilt trip if we don’t, but I wanted to “throw that out there”.
To wrap this up, my wife reminded me of a saying I coined quite a few years ago, but had forgotten. She brought it up again today because she said I am currently practicing what I preached “back in the day”. So, here’s my motto:
Live today
In such a way,
So that tomorrow
You won’t regret yesterday!
Think about this motto for a moment… can this describe a lifestyle of integrity? I believe so. [By the way, if you think my motto is worth sharing, please feel free to do so.]
Thanks for “listening”… sometimes the ideas just start overflowing and I have to reign myself back in. ;o)
Take care and “BE”!