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Without the ability to offer an open sensitive ear, you can’t ask the appropriate questions and gain true insight. Listening requires shutting off your phone and mind chatter long enough to hear not only what’s being said, but more importantly, what’s not being said and why. In this day and age, that’s a truly precious commodity. That means offering your friend genuine focused attention. Give and take… To be a good friend and learn from one another, it’s essential to be emotionally generous with more than just your time. Without expectations, simply see where the experiences take you. Instead of clinging to similar personality types, explore interactions with those who appear vastly different. Then as you seek out new friendships, be brave. Think about qualities you’d like to develop and those you want to shed. So pay attention to the energy that different folks radiate. Become curious… Remember, when you spend time with a person you absorb more than just their words. Then notice if those were the people you’ve previously gravitated to. Decide what kinds of souls you’d like to surround yourself with. Even if they occurred on a subtle level, there were always choices and actions. It can seem like friendships just happened when you weren’t looking that’s the illusion lack of awareness creates. Embrace healthy tension… it gives way to breakthroughs that spiral into growth.
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In his book, “ Yin & Yang: Understanding the Chinese Philosophy ,” Martin Palmer explains how “Balance comes from handling conflict and tension.” Like a brainstorm session, friends feel safe enough to throw out original ideas, disagree and reveal their true selves. If you release attachment to wanting to be right, these differences can be intriguing and expand your point-of-view. Yin yang shows us how celebrating differences can lead to harmony.
WHAT DOES YIN AND YANG SYMBOL MEAN PLUS
In a good collaboration, differences between partners mean that one plus one always equals more than two.” The same could easily be said of friendships. Instead of finding someone with the same ideas, Tharp emphasizes that, “You need a challenging partner. Visionary choreographer and dancer, Twyla Tharp In her book, “ the Collaborative Habit : Life Lessons for Working Together,” writes about how two can burn brighter together than even the most brilliant person on their own. Together, you create a cycle of learning. Each person brings their particular strength, weakness, and vision to the relationship. Think of friends like life-collaborators. At first it’s spontaneous… But what it evolves into is an ever flowing stream. Also like lovers, friendship involves a spark too, albeit a platonic one. Soon you’re swapping ideas and energy over matcha lattes. One minute you’re talking with somebody new, the next exchanging emails, or friending each other on social media. It could be a mutual interest or sense of humor. On a subtle level, there’s an intention of sharing something. When you align yourself with another person and invite them into your orbit, it’s a meaningful two-sided gift. The principal of Yin and yang shows that opposing forces are invaluable. It’s true, opposites do attract, with lovers, and also friends. One flows into the other… just like the light into darkness. So what does yin yang have to do with the nature of friendship? It beautifully illustrates how two halves of a whole, can be active and continually engaged. Yin is said to be dark and feminine, while yang, light and masculine.
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that seamless way daylight fades into evening, over and over again. In its most basic form, it refers to the nature of duality think sun and moon. The ancient Chinese Taoist philosophy of yin and yang, was founded by Lao Tzu, author of “ Tao-Te-Ching ” (c. You can find yourself butting heads with your bestie… or sparking brilliant collaborations. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.ĭepending on their dynamics, friendships can be enlightening or exhausting.
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