Everyone wants to win.
Very few want to bend.
Yet compromise follows us through all of life…
and without it, almost nothing moves forward.
Who wants to give in?
Who wants to be first?
At some point however, compromise has to take place.
We complicated it.
Turned it into strategy.
Into positioning.
Into leverage.
Into a game.
Yet compromise will travel with us our entire lives.
Use it on everything…
except your principles.
GIVE & TAKE
Everyone believes their way is the best way.
That alone should tell us inflexibility cannot work.
Give and take is required.
Ask yourself what truly matters to you and make a list.
Start with the “must haves.”
End with the “nice if I can get it.”
That changes everything.
THE GOLD RULES?
Be prepared to exchange things on your list for things on theirs.
Anyone playing “my way or the highway” is not ready for compromise.
They are stuck.
And stuck people cannot move forward.
He who has the gold and only practices ruling…
has no place in the compromise system.
GET GOING
It is okay to give to get.
Be honest about it.
When interviewing for a job, both sides have wants and expectations.
If there is no agreement, the road stops there.
But if concessions are made and common ground is found…
movement begins.
I get.
You get.
We both get.
Now get to work.
WE ALL WANT
I remember agents arguing over title companies, escrow choices and even notary services.
When disputes came up, we learned to “split the baby” just to keep things moving.
Why?
Because the other person wanted the deal just as badly as you did.
Interaction skills required.
LOVE COMPROMISE
Marriage disagreements may be the hardest of all because emotions distort reality.
Love disguised as sacrifice must rise up.
Someone has to stay calm enough to look for “peace in the valley.”
Give and take cannot be fake either.
Phony compromise always resurfaces later.
This stuff catches up with you if not handled properly.
GENERAL COMPROMISE
We are all looking for the happy spot.
The place where everyone walks away feeling respected.
The traditional “I win and you win.”
But greed distorts the picture.
People stop wanting to win…
and start wanting to win bigger.
Remember this:
The other person went to the same school you did.
They want what you want too.
Enter compromise.
COMPROMISE PRINCIPLES?
Everything in life is negotiable.
Everything…
except your principles.
Years ago, a company I worked for faced a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
Our CEO feared he could not win on merit.
His solution?
Forge documents.
A few of us knew about it.
He wanted victory at all costs.
Come hell or high water.
THE THREE WOULD NOT COMPROMISE
Who could live with that?
To lie…
then keep lying…
then face each other every day knowing it?
That is not winning.
That is making a deal with the devil.
And those deals never end well.
There is no peace in “win at all costs.”
Only guilt.
Stain.
Blemish.
The soul pays heavily.
So we took a stand.
No forging.
Win or lose…
we would remain clean.
HOW WE COME TO IT ALL
When seeking the promised land…
the place where peace and fairness live…
where everyone gets their share…
add two things to your MUST HAVE list:
- Make sure the other person’s wants are considered fairly.
- Make sure the entire thing is built on solid principles.
Then…
sleep deep.
That is well-earned rest.
Did this speak to your heart or life journey?
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— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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