This year I met Lorna Hines who is a Real Estate Consultant who teaches and coaches effective and efficient dialogues for buying and selling homes. She said, “The power of negotiating is the ability to walk away; and, the skill of negotiating is never having to.” What a profound concept. I learned long ago that the best negotiators are those who do not damage the relationship between the parties. In August 2007, I had the opportunity to talk with Coach Bill Walsh who told me that his success came from the fact that he maintained relationships throughout his life, even when negotiating with others.

The environment and relationships impact our life. Those people who influenced me most pushed me in the direction of continuous education. My deep yearning for knowledge actually made the learning happen. What I have found is that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know. I truly believe that continuing education and building on skills is the key to a successful life that can be shared with others. How has the environment and relationships impacted your life and who you are?