The new (financial) year prompted me to review our planning for the next 6 months. So, one of the things I decided to do was to look over our catalogue of articles and messages that we have shared with you all and added to our website over the years.
The first article I clicked on was from 2019 ‘What makes a good life?’
Wow – what a blast from the pre-covid past! Late 2018 we had been on a wonderful family holiday to the Sunshine Coast. At the time I was secretly daydreaming about living there… who would have thought that the circumstances of 2020 made that dream come true.
However, the most important part of this article was not about property investing strategies or creating property portfolios, it was about relationships. I had completely forgotten that we had referenced a study that followed the lives of 724 men to find out what makes a good life. The end result was that good relationships make a good life.
- Social connections are good for us: loneliness can literally kill us through health problems and poorer brain function
- Quality of close relationships matter: high conflict relationships are bad for health
- Good relationships protect our brains: it makes memories stay sharper longer
Look at these three points! I don’t like referring back to the pandemic – but these points seem more important than ever considering the sacrifices we all made within our relationships, work life, and social connections in 2020/2021.
This video is only 12 mins and is well worth watching. It explains the findings of the study and reiterates the importance of relationships.
As both my father and I are reaching milestone birthdays this year – me the big 5 Oh and Dad 80, it really made me think even more about how vital strong relationships are to our well-being.
In the article from 2019 we talked about the importance of spending time with family over Christmas, but we need to seize the moment every day.
Play with your kids.
Laugh with your siblings.
Chat to your mates.
Shake hands with a stranger.
Figure out how you can strengthen those relationships.
Your time is precious. Don’t regret the one thing that makes a good life:
“There isn’t time, so brief is life, for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving, and but an instant, so to speak, for that.”
– Mark Twain
