Picking Power

There is an old saying:

"You can pick your friend, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose. If you try it will get messy!"

When it comes to interacting with other people we need to remember; we can't make them do what we want them to do. Whenever we try, it gets messy.

I find that most of us need to be reminded of this basic fact, especially as it relates to how we approach our family and friends. You can only change yourself! You may know what is wrong with your family member - and you may even know what to do about it. But until they are convinced that their current behavior is a problem to them and experience a real desire to change, nothing worthwhile is going to happen. If you try to get them to change, and those elements aren't present in them, they won't change. And if you try to force them, they will resist and you will only get frustrated and eventually damage the relationship. . .