Be open and clear about your intentions.
my best friend and i have been intentionally open about what is important to us in a friendship. she knows that i value friendships that celebrate wins and i know that she values friends that go on adventures with her as a form of quality time. by being clear about how important these things were to each other, we were able to cultivate a friendship that not only met our needs, but exceeded each other’s expectations.

Be present.
we are living in a world full of distractions. when you leave yourself vulnerable to distractions while engaging in your relationships, you can prevent yourself from fostering meaningful, valuable, and genuine connections. whether it’s intentionally putting your phone away when you’re eating dinner with a parent, pausing your tv show when someone you love gives you a call, or spending time with your loved ones without trying to multi-task, fully focusing your energy on the person in front of you will have nothing but profound effects on the quality of your relationships.

Align your actions to your words.
it’s easy to say “i love you”, but loving with our actions, behaviors, choices, and compromises takes our love to another level. if your intention in love is to be a source of encouragement and support, how can you act on this intention versus simply saying “i support you?” this doesn’t mean our words are meaningless, but when our actions aren’t aligning with our words – we are not truly honoring the relationships in our lives.

Foster connection.
get creative about fostering opportunities for deeper connection with your loved ones. in her actions, my mom has shown me that the greatest gift you can give a loved one is often an experience. plan a trip, picnic, weekly phone, dinner, day-date, etc. to tend to your relationships and create lasting memories. it doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money.

Practice relational gratitude – regularly.
in a this fast-paced world, it’s easy to take the people in our lives for granted. regularly reflecting on the relationships in your life, and taking action to express your relational gratitude, can help you stay connected to them even when life gets busy.