We all struggle from time to time communicating with those we love the most. As the hurt starts to pile up we begin to say and hear everything through that filter of pain. The way forward seems so complicated and impossible we can reach the point of giving up entirely.
What if the solution isn’t as complicated as you think? What if the answer was just a few basic sentences made up of only 2 words?
Hard to believe I know. We want the solution to be more complicated because we think our problem is complicated. Our current situation may be complicated, but if we think back it probably didn’t start out that way.
In fact, I bet that if you used one of these simple sentences early on things wouldn’t have escalated to the complicated mess you find yourself in. The good news is if you would use one or more of these sentences (sincerely) right now you might find things starting to mellow. These sentences aren’t going to untangle all of the knots, but they will go further than you think. They will also keep you from getting in such a mess to begin with.
What are these magical sentences?
Thank you.
I’m sorry.
You’re right.
Think about it. Would this relational nightmare have become such a monster if someone would have just said one of those magical sentences early on?
Would it make a difference if someone would say it now?
We want to hear these sentences more than we want to say them. Be the bigger person and say it.
We can easily think of all the reasons we deserve to hear them, but we struggle finding reasons why we should say them, especially when we are hurt. The longer you wait the harder it gets.
People in healthy and thriving relationships say these simple “magical” sentences all of the time. When was the last time you did with those you love the most?
You probably can think of a few more sentences to add to the list. But what’s harder than making a list is actually using the list.
I’ve read lots of books on communication skills, tactics, negotiating, and persuasion, but at the end of the day most of the communication pain can be traced to the neglect of one of these very simple sentences.
In fact, I bet that if you just start using a few 2-word or 3-word sentences every day you would see all of your relationships improve quicker than you thought possible. Try it with a dose of sincerity and humility and see if it’s not magic.
“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.” -Proverbs 17:27
