People will always notice the change in your attitude towards them, but they will never notice it’s their behavior that made your change.
People will always notice the change in your attitude towards them, but they will never notice it’s their behavior that made your change.
The dynamic of any relationship, personal or professional, is always subject to change, predicated upon how both parties continue to conduct themselves.
The way that two people engage at the outset of a relationship, is likely to evolve over the course of time. In this scenario, there are countless variables that come into play. Each having their own unique impact on how that relationship will mature.
Changes in social, financial, education, profession and relationship status are some of the more likely variables that give this dynamic an opportunity to express itself.
As people change, their feelings towards others may sometimes go through an evolution. Whether they wish to accept it or not, it happens to be a core reality in life. And if we are truly honest with ourselves, we are probably as guilty of this as the next person, whether we would like this to be true or not.
There are countless examples, some of which seem most obvious, and others seem most petty. You might have a friend or colleague who has fallen into the spiral of substance or alcohol abuse. You may try to maintain that relationship, and do not wish to see it fall apart. You might intervene and try to get them to help. But if the abuse goes too far down a well, you find yourself growing ever more distant and reluctant to spend time with them.
Conversely, you may be friends with someone who skyrockets up the financial ladder far faster than you ever may. Their lifestyle and desires are changing and you cannot keep pace. Eventually, you may discover that you are feeling less close than prior, because you are just in two different worlds.
People’s spousal relationships are yet another example of how this can play out. You may both be single or both be in relationships, but when one of you ends up in the opposite camp, the friendship dynamic is often stretched and the camaraderie can be tested in countless ways.
In the professional world, if one escalates quickly up the business ladder, while another is left behind, that too, causes a dynamic that can strain the relationship and give one or both a reason to feel less close or awkward in the process.
In the end, I believe it is most wise to recognize that nothing is permanent. Everything is a dynamic experience, subject to changes that can throw off the balance and leave one or both parties feeling as if their prior equilibrium is permanently out of balance.
If someone in your world is showing you a change in attitude, perhaps an evaluation of what may have changed in your dynamic with them would be a good place to start. If you feel that they are truly in a different place than they were when you created this bond, perhaps you can gently express to them how their new behavior is causing you to feel this imbalance and together you may find a solution that keeps whatever caused you to bond in the first place, a top priority for both of you.
Happy Thursday!
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