Valentines

I watched two DVD's this week. We got the DVD Valentines Day in the mail from Netflix. I was never a Valentines Day lover and I thought this would be a funny movie to watch. It had a couple good points. When we love someone, we love the good and bad in them. It wasn't my favorite or one I would recommend. I also watched a DVD this week that I have had for awhile and just got around to watching. It was much better for Valentines Day. It is called The Seven Commitments for Perfect Communication by Emil Harker. The Seven Commitments are as Follows:
1. Assume Good Intent
2. Accepting Reality
3. Communicating with the Desired Outcome in Mind
4. Clear Direct Communication
5. Fogging
6. After Fogging
7. Disarming Landmines
I read the commitments and thought that they sounded pretty basic. Did I really need to listen to someone tell me how to do something so basic? I was surprised. For example, when you get mad at someone, you are not assuming good intent. Did my child really want to cause me more work by leaving their coat on the floor? No. So don't get mad. And when I talk to them. I communicate with the desired outcome in mind. If I yell, it won't have the desired outcome. Everyone has a natural desire to be happy and to make others happy. When this doesn't happen, you have to assume the person has a good reason/intent. Fogging may not be so basic to understand. It is letting criticism go through you like you are made of fog and not hurling criticism back or getting hurt feelings, then getting to the source of the criticism. Listening to this made me more aware of my communication with my children and everyone that I communicate with. I can't believe how much I can work on things that I thought I already knew! This is the same case with the gospel sometimes. We think we know it but there are always ways we can apply it more if we will just look. Happy Valentines Day! My favorite part of Valentines Day the movie was the mom coming to see her son. Hopefully if we apply better communication we can be with all our family forever! Happy Valentines Day!