If you could choose your family as your friends would you have any friends?

What do you look for in a friend? Do any of your family members even measure up?

• Support.
• The same or similar value system.
• Something in common.
• Understanding.
• Be on the same wavelength.

These are just to mention a few. Hopefully, your family has all of those qualities, but if you or they are not so lucky you will find that “familiarity breeds contempt”, ie your family seem to have a license to behave and treat you any way they feel fit. It is often our own expectations of what you want from your family that gets in-between who they are and who you want them to be.

A few tips to get you through the disappointment and drama attached to family.

• Lower your expectations of them this will help you tremendously.
• Accept them for who they are no matter how difficult it may be.
• Do things that you are comfortable doing so that there is not regret or resentment.
• Be patient and kind and be the best person you can be.
• Don’t do things to spite them be authentic in your actions.
• Isolate situations so that they don’t overflow.
• Remember that whoever brings you down is really below you.
• Find the good in someone even if it is difficult.
• Learn to communicate the issues so that they don’t escalate.

So at the end of the day if you have a great family life, good for you! Cherish and know that you are one in a million. As for the rest of us, we continue to create our own family with networking and building friendships to substitute the lack of that warm fuzzy feeling that family is supposed to bring.

So be the best you can be in every relationship and remember to accept the things you cannot control and have the courage you to change the things you can, and so the serenity prayer says.

#livelifelovelife #livelifelovefamily #payitforward