It has taken me decades to get better at this . . . . (someday . . .)

It is more rewarding to resolve a situation than to dissolve a relationship. This is a lesson I

learned from John Maxwell in his book, Winning with People. The message I must too frequently remind myself is to never let a situation mean more than a relationship. I get this. The problem is my ego gets in the way. John has told a story that struck home with me. He used to pride himself on being right (so do I). And once after a moment of competitive discussion, he gained a new perspective when his wife, Margaret, shared a comment that was something like, “You may be winning the argument, John, but you are losing the relationship.” OUCH! (This story still fills my eyes with water.)

From a personal growth perspective, the chronicles the story of Venus and Serena Williams, and their relationship, as well as their path to playing professional tennis. Venus is the older of the sisters; and had the first advantage to be getting trained to play professionally. Serena came along a year later. Initially, their ages had them playing in different age groups. Eventually they ended up playing each other. Venus won the first couple of times. But Serena is competitive, too, and soon beat her older sister. Did that affect their relationship - no. “Family comes first, no matter how many times we play each other,” says Serena.