BUSINESS GLOBALISATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

BUSINESS GLOBALISATION - Essay Example Trading Blocs A trading bloc refers to the agreement between certain countries to reduce trade restrictions, tariffs and other trade barriers for each other while imposing strict trade barriers with other nonmember nations. Without any doubts, trade blocs like ‘European Economic Community’ (ECC) and ‘North American Free Trade Agreement’ (NAFTA) exist because they provide great advantages to the member nations (Prempeh, Mensah & Adjibolosoo, pp. 98-99, 2004). First, large markets created through trading blocs allow production to take place in bulk, which in turn means that firms can take advantage of economies of scale. Second, companies within the trading blocs come closer to each other, which lead to greater competition (Wiarda, pp. 93-98, 2007). Quite understandably, greater competition leads to higher level of efficiency. Third, when tariffs decrease due to trade blocs, the cost of imports goes down and consumers can purchase products with lower prices. F ourth, an individual country may not enjoy that political and economic authority over the globe but a group of countries certainly can have their voice heard (Rossi, pp. 304-305, 2007). In fact, this remains the biggest possible advantage of trade blocs that they allow the members to become interdependent on each other thus making them less vulnerable to the external shocks. Fifth, trade blocs reduce the transactions costs for all the members thus allowing the trade the trade to happen with lesser monetary and time costs (Ervin & Smith, pp. 185-186, 2008). Changes in the Balance of Trade in during 20th century Without any doubts, the world is a completely changed place as compared to what it was a century ago. The world has undergone a complete transformation in the 20th century and the same is true for world trade. The balance of trade refers to the total value of exports minus the value of imports of a country during the given year. The balance of world trade in the past century h as changed largely. During the early days of the 20th century, most of the countries at that time used to avoid trade deficits and considered it as bad for the economy. The process of Globalisation was slow and most economies comparatively were closed economies. However, as of the data of CIA for the year 2010, out of the 191 countries on their list, only 61 countries or 32 percent of the countries had a trade surplus and the rest of the them were showing trade deficits. Quite understandably, this refers to the fact that the balance of the world trade in totality is in negative giving a trade deficit. The biggest trade deficit was for the economic superpower United States of America with 561 billion US dollars (Steger, pp. 74-78, 2010). Furthermore, even economic powers like United Kingdom, India, France, Brazil, Canada, and Australia had deficits of more than 35 billion US dollars (Steger, pp. 74-78, 2010). However, upcoming Asian giants China, Japan, and Germany remain at the top of list with trade surpluses of 272, 166, and 162 billion US dollars (Steger, pp. 74-78, 2010). Economies of Scale With Globalisation and increasing international trade, economies of scale have emerged as an extremely important factor in expansion and production of various industries. Economies of scale refer to ‘the phenomenon where the cost per unit decreases with increasing production’ (Rossi, pp. 304-305, 2007). It allows the firm to lower its costs and gain greater market share or the firm may decide to maintain the

Life on the Road Essay Example for Free

Life on the Road Essay â€Å"Life on the Road† was in my opinion written to entertain, but also to inform the reader about a hitch hikers life. The author explained the basics of his everyday journeys and how they affected him. He explained how he had to adapt to certain ways of living, from where he would sleep to where he was going to find food the next day. Surprisingly traveling also taught him how to better present himself. For example, he learned to stand, instead of sit while trying to catch a ride. This showed his determination and a more favorable self portrayed image. The lifestyle he was used to living had completely changed. He no longer had luxuries easily handed to him as we Americans do today. I also believed he wrote this article in order for us to recognize the small, but important factors in life that we usually miss considering the busy life most of us lead now a days. Wertz said, â€Å"I was gone only three months, but in those three months I felt heart. † (Wertz, 13). His view on society and life changed completely after his experience on the road. Being alone on the streets forced him to learn how to fend for himself and learn how to interact differently with people. Through out his encounters he learned there is many kinds of people. He met very beautiful people, overly happy people, extremely rude people, and sadly even people suffering worse than he was. Traits he never knew he had like sympathy peeked their head out and taught him that even though he was struggling, there are still a tremendous amount of people out in the world that have it worse than he did. His journey led him through many challenges, but mainly taught him more about how special life really is.

The History of Spices and Condiments :: Cooking Food Papers

Today, due to the technological evolution and worldwide trade, people came to enjoy foreign cultures regardless the East or West. More and more people travel around the world freely and explore exotic cultures. Among those pleasures, food can be the most interesting lure which represents the culture. This is because food is unique to the place. One of major aspects which enhance the uniqueness of food is its condiments such as spices and flavors. Chefs are enthusiastic in using flavors to stimulate epicurians’ appetites and to add special tastes to the cuisine. Although condiments tend to be considered subordinating part of food, they have very long histories and significant meanings in ancient times. In ancient times, condiments were highly valued, â€Å"as basic ingredients of incense, embalming preservatives, ointments, perfumes, antidotes against poisons, cosmetics, and medicines, and were used only to a limited extent in the kitchen (Rosengarten 16). Studying their histories and roots of the names, such as etymology, will help us to track down the ancient life, culture, and social values. And the use of condiments were much more expansive than today and played one of the most important parts in the world history, encouraging the civilization which allowed today’s worldwide trades. This research is focused on the etymologies of major condiment words such as salt, vinegar, pepper, cinnamon, and mustard, which have been highly valued from ancient time to today’s life. In addition, the migrations of those words in the world and expressions produced by wisdom of ancient people are also investigated. Matsuya 2 I) History In ancient times, salt was very precious and valuable before refrigeration, when salt was the major means of preventing meat from decaying. And salt was used as a medicine such as â€Å"smelling-salts.† It was believed that salt, with ammonium carbonate with some agreeable scent as lavender or bergamot, can be a stimulant and restorative in faintness and headaches. Therefore, spilling salt was considered to bring an unlucky omen among the Romans. II) Etymological change Proto-Germanic *saltan Indo- European *sal-d-om ~ Old English salt, sealt Before 1100 sealt 13th salit 14-16th salte 16-17th sault Cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old Icelandic, Gothic, salt Middle Dutch sout Old High German salz Cognate outside Germanic Latin sal, salt Old Irish salann Welsh halen Greek hals Latvian sals Old Slavic soli, sladuku Matsuya 3 Armenian al Tocharian sale salyiye Sanskrit sal (in salila-m ‘sea’) Although these forms have certain similarities, in Old Slavonic, sladuku meant â€Å"sweet.

Prayer in School

Monique Holmes Argumentative Writing Final Paper Dr. George Pullman Introduction School prayer is a major controversy of this society. Public schools are supported with taxpayer money and you have a lot of believers who want his or her taxes to support an institution that prohibits children from praying in school, but at the same time, you have a loot of believers that don’t want to support an institution that prohibits their children from prayer in schools. The First Amendment of the United States protects both believers’ ands non believers from this situation by mandating government neutrality between belief and non belief.All children have the right to pray voluntary just not through the public school system. Prayer Should be Allowed in the Public School System School prayer is a very controversial issue in our society today. The question that people are having issues with is whether or not school prayer should be allowed in the public school system. The main issue i s if students should be allowed to pray as a class at the start of the day. Prayer in school has been a major conflict between people therefore there have been a lot of court cases.There were a number of cases that has changed the policy of prayer in the public school system. Thomas Jefferson had spoken of public education ands said, â€Å"One goal of democracy is the recognition, solution, and tolerance of controversy; public education should prepare citizens for this reality†. People do need to be prepared because religion is a very Holmes common controversy. If religion is removed from the public education system then one must know that the system is then defective to the school because how are children to know how to deal with the controversy that comes with religion?Prayer should be slowed in school. One must remember the Equal Access Act of 1984, which says that prayer is an important part of America’s spiritual heritage and the First Amendment (Freedom of Speech ). If prayer in schools is so bad like people like to say or think than how come there are so many people who are for prayer in school? School prayer shouldn’t be removed from the public school system because of the Equal Access Act of 1984. This Act states that a federally funded public high is required to permit religious meetings if clubs that are not related to the curriculum is allowed.There are a number of religious groups in some schools, but of course they don’t get the same privileges as the clubs that are non-religious related. The Equal Access Act of 1984 was formed to change this fact. At some schools, students are allowed to organize a bible study group as well as other religious clubs (www. religioustolerance. org). These particular clubs are allowed to meet on school grounds and they are able to advertise on school property just like the other non-religious clubs (www. religioustolerance. org).Students who want to have a religious club should not be infl uenced by the board, teachers, principals, or any staff of the school. They should not be ridiculed because of this. The Equal Access Act of 1984 is good because these students will now be able to form a religious group if they want. If athletes, musicians and artists can show and do what they believe than religious groups should be able to do the same. Prayer should be a part of our school systems because it is an important part of America’s spiritual heritage.All throughout America’s history there have been many important documents written with references to â€Å"Almighty God,† â€Å"Thy Blessings,† â€Å"Our dependence upon Thee,† and â€Å"In God We Trust. † These documents are Holmes the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, the National Anthem, the Presidential Oath and even U. S. Currency. In school children starts the day with pledge which states â€Å"one Nation under God. † A prayer says that students just wa nt to ask for a good day and guidance throughout the day. Prayer and religion is an important part of the American tradition. It has been said that the children benefit from people turning to God on their behalf and they benefit even more when they turn to God for help† (Christian Science Monitor 2). If prayer is kept out of the school system, they are teaching students that traditions are not important and that what this country was founded upon doesn’t matter. Our forefathers wanted us to have religious freedom, so what would you want children to disrespect that. People don’t want to see out nation fall but it will if we don’t show children the value of prayer.School prayer is important because it shows and teaches what this nation stands for and it helps create better morals. By allowing children to pray at the beginning of school it gives them a chance to learn better and focus on school because their mind will be cleared. It is known that students who pray before school do better in school than those who don’t. So if we want our children to do better we must let them pray in school. We have lost if we eliminate prayer from school. Our nation will definitely fall. Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religionfree zones or requires all religious expression to be left at the schoolhouse door† (Bill Clinton on prayer in school). If what Clinton say is true then why do people want to eliminate prayer in school? The issue is that they don’t want to deal with controversy but by doing this they are not teaching children how to handle controversy they are teaching them to ignore it. They should let the children decide if they want to pray or not. If the students don’t want to pray than they don’t have to pray then they shouldn’t.They have the right to pray in school and should not be looked Holmes down at if they choose to do so. No one is being hurt by prayer being in t he public school system. The First Amendment gives people the right to express their religion openly and not be questioned about their beliefs. The former president, Harry Truman once stated that prayer â€Å"never hurt anybody and made good citizens out of them. † The First Amendment states that people can express their beliefs freely and openly anywhere that they want and that should include school as well.School prayer should be in the public school systems because of the Equal Access Act of 1984, prayer is an important part of America’s spiritual heritage and the First Amendment (Freedom of Speech). Even with all of the court cases in which judges have ruled that prayer in school is unconstitutional, students still form prayer groups. One of the reasons why prayer is removed from school is because people think that they will have to partake in that religion and it will dominate over all. But this is simply not true.No one is asking for people to change their belief s. Why is it a big issue for prayer to be in class when it is said in a number of school functions? Prayers are said at athletic games, to ensure safety and protection and at graduation ceremonies. How come this isn’t an issue? There a re a number of arguments that are for prayer in school: The Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals stated, â€Å"The belief and trust in a creator has always been regarded as an integral and inseparable part of the fabric of our fundamental institutions. Harry Truman said that prayer â€Å"never hurt anybody and made good citizens out of them. † Rep. James Traficant said, â€Å"A Congress that allows God to be banned from our schools while our schools can teach about cults, Hitler and even devil worship is wrong, out of touch and need some commonsense. † Prayer in school will increase tolerance in schools because children will be able to learn of different religions and how they are practiced. It will also bring to surface questio ns that Holmes children have about God and religion and allow them to search for their own belief system.Bringing prayer into schools will allow them to search for their own belief system. Bringing prayer into schools will also help reverse the moral degradation of this country. Prayer should be allowed in the public school system so that our children can start their day off in the right direction. Prayer Should Not be Allowed in the Public School System The public school system should not allow prayer into the public school system because it is against the idea of separation of church and state.The public schools are for education it is not a place where religion should be taught, that is what church is for. â€Å"Public schools can neither foster religion nor preclude it. Our public schools must treat religion with fairness and respect and vigorously protect religious expression as well as the freedom of conscience of all other students. In so doing our public schools reaffirm th e First Amendment and enrich the lives of their students† ( Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley June 1998 ).One must remember that in a public school system, these children are from all religion backgrounds, such as Baptist, Catholic, Quaker, Jewish, Muslim and atheist. â€Å"School sponsorship of a religious message is impermissible because it sends the ancillary message to members of the audience who are nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community † (U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Santa Fe v. Doe, (2000). Public schools are supported by taxpayers and even they are of different beliefs, so therefore, the schools should be free from religious coercion. In the bible, it says that Jesus didn’t approve of outward prayer, â€Å"Thou shalt not be as the hypocrites ate: for they love to Holmes pray standing in synagogues an d in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men.But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret† (Matthew 6:5-6). By allowing prayer into public schools violates the First Amendment which states that â€Å"congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances† (First Amendment of the Constitution).The Establishment Clause renders the government from endorsing or favoring religion or any form of religions expression and The Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses requires that the government doesn’t trample on one’s opportunities to engage in expressive conduct. No one should be required to participate in prayer. The government does not have the right to make peo ple pray in school. Annie Laurie Gaylor quoted Thomas Jefferson in her article, The Case against School Prayer â€Å"No citizen shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever. People should not be subject to do anything they don’t believe in. Prayer should not be allowed in school because of church and state and the First Amendment. â€Å"To secure the people's right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience: Neither the United States nor any State shall establish any official religion, but the people's right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including schools, shall not be infringed.The United States and the States shall not compose school prayers, not require any person to join in prayer or other religious activity† (Congressperson Ernest Istook Proposed amendment to the U. S. Constitution). To have prayer in school is against the idea of sep aration of church and state. Holmes Public schools are for education not religion. â€Å"I'm a Catholic and I hope a devout one, but I think that the public school classroom is no place for me to try and impose my world formula for prayer on children who on't share it, and for that very reason, I don't want my children in a public school classroom to be exposed to someone else's religion or formula† (Senator Phillip A. Hart :Michigan). Every child should not have to say prayer in the classroom because not everyone believes in the same thing. Students that choose to pray are already given the ability to do so because they are given a moment of silence where the student can do anything he or she wants as long as the entire class is not involved.Students have a voluntary right to pray but people want it to be where a group can pray and that should not be allowed. By establishing prayer in the public school system, it will only cause more turmoil for our society. Ulysses Grant st arted in the President’s Speech at Des Moines â€Å"to leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private schools, supported entirely by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate. School prayer should not be allowed in the schools because of the idea of separation of church and state and the First Amendment. Religion is private and these schools are neither private, which shows that they do nor mix. To bring the public schools builds walls between children who may have not been aware of some religious beliefs. The practice of prayer in school will create unnecessary divisions among children by making them aware of religious differences. Public schools are for everyone, no matter their religion.The practice if organized prayer in schools will invade the children’s right to an education that is free of the discrimination that organized prayer would encourage. When schools have prayer in class, it singles out the theolog y being taught. Forbidding prayer in schools does not discourage religion but instead it prevents offensive alienation of students who have viewpoints which conflict with the established religion. By allowing prayer in school, Holmes it will threaten what parents have already taught their children.It will be undermining what we teach our children about religion. We must protect ourselves against organized prayer by keeping coercive prayer out of our children’s schools. Work Cited Bill Jager, â€Å"Public School Prayer Creates Violence,† at: Holmes http://www. mindspring. com/~wjager/ Gaylor, Annie Laurie. The Case Aainst School Prayer. â€Å"Keep the Church and State Forever Separate. † Madison, Wisconsin: Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. 1995 Matt Pyeatt. â€Å"Congressman Urges School Prayer Constitutional Amendment,† CNSNews. om, at: http://www. botcw. com/talk/ Religion and Prayer in U. S. Public Schools : www. religioustolerance. org The Holy B ible â€Å"New Tesatment† St. Matthew 6:5-6 The resolution was passed on 2001-NOV-7. The vote was 5 to 4. See: Gene Garman, â€Å"Lafayette School Board resolution on public prayer,† at: http:// www. sunnetworks. net/~ggarman/ The web site contains a point-by-point rebuttal. â€Å"Topic: Prayer in School,† AmarilloNet. com bulletin board at: http://www. amarillonet. com/ubb/Forum34/ Holmes

COM 200 Communication building a Relationship Essay

Communication is going to be the cornerstone of any relationship; trust is going to be the heart of what makes any relationship beat and overwhelming love will be how any relationship will last. Taking the opportunity to learn more in depth about your interpersonal relationship with yourself and your partner can strengthen a relationship; therefore, taking such opportunities should be looked upon as a rehabilitation tool or a hinder on what you need to possibly improve to make a relationship work. One feature that interferes with communication with anyone whom you want to have a conversation with is barriers. Barriers are typically the reason that communication falters between individuals; therefore, it’s important to have an understanding of the conversation and be a listener. A recent article from the website skillsyouneed.com.uk mentions â€Å"Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and/or money by causing confusion and misunderstanding.† Overcoming barriers involves effective communication, especially when barriers hinder conveying a clear and concise message. Being aware of language barriers, physical outside sources like noise to nonverbal communication can and will effect a conversation. Have you ever tried to hold a conversation with a friend or family member while in a crowded restaurant, that not only had screaming or crying children but adults yelling at a television that was mounted and playing a sports show such as an NFL game will in this establishment? Under those circumstances, it’s rather amazing that a conversation can be heard, let alone understood. Many people may rely on nonverbal communication during times like those via using mediated communication such as text messaging between one another. A downfall during media communication is that your true emotions cannot be correctly stated when they are read, but so many individuals rely on mediated communication devices instead of face-to-face time. Increase of media communication has benefitted the majority of society to keep in touch with their family members, â€Å"A majority of those surveyed (83%) considers going online to be a â€Å"helpful† form of communication among family members† (Connecting Generations (2012)). Another negative about media communication is how people portray themselves through such social networks like facebook, myspace to name a few. Unfortunately, our world is not a safe place, and thanks to pedophiles, neither are social networks. Even having the knowledge of barriers that are being conducted during your conversation does not mean the receiver acknowledges the sender’s message and is willing to participate with the conversation. Some individuals just have the lack of interest in the topic at hand and decide not to maintain communication between others. You need to make sure that each person has a desire to have a rappaport and animated feelings about the conversation or you could end up with receiving a lot of â€Å"Umm†, â€Å"Yea† or a head nod. The impact that our nonverbal communication can provide a conversation and enlighten someone to what is actually going through the other person’s mind can drive a conversation instead of just relying on the power of words. It can be the simplest nonverbal communication as holding hands will driving down the road, leaving a simple gesture as a flower or having someone just smile that can impact how your day may go or end. â€Å"The best communicators are sensitive to the power of the emotions and thoughts communicated nonverbally. Nonverbal communication is the single most powerful form of communication,† stated Susan Heathfield (2013). You don’t have to say any words for what you feel you need to gesture, it’ not always necessary too. Without realization of what you are doing with your body language, facial expressions or hand gestures, you are providing the other person your true thoughts and feeling without having to say a single word. It’s about being able to read an individual with your eyes instead of listening to how they are speaking to you. One of the most important emotions someone can provide you is the sense of touch: on the cheek to trace a tear, a hug for comfort or a kiss on your lips just because they were overwhelmed with the fact that they miss you. One experience I have found with nonverbal communication is the rolling of eyes during a conversation. It shows the lack of interest, platen disrespect to the person talking and how uneducated someone is in common courtesy. I have been experiencing this particular nonverbal disrespect in my line of work for years and I have noticed how my own children have started to pick it up with some of their peers. Needless to say, we have talked about it and we are trying to improve. Unless you learn how to curb your nonverbal communication, you are capable of being read like an open book; however, there are those that flaunt nonverbal communication which is read incorrectly leading to perception, which can hinder a relationship. Perception is one of the biggest evils when it comes to any type of relationship, friend or romantic, because it’s showing a lack of trust, which is the heart of any relationship. Without perception, I believe people wouldn’t have a way to gossip or speculate about what they don’t have a clue about. The only people that truly know what is going on is those directly involved in the situation at hand; therefore, perception is what others think and want others to believe about said relationship based of their gossipy words. Words have the magical capability to create and affect attitude, behavior or perception of an individual that is being looked at from the outside; therefore, communication and the builtment of trust before judgment would accommodate any relationship. Attitude in a relationship can hinder it, even if said attitude is not specifically coming from your intimate partner. Your attitude from work can continue until you are home, during a nice dinner with your significant other and cause a conflict that wasn’t present before. I recommend establishing a rule that allows each individual to vent about their day for a maximum of ten minutes, and then they can’t mention it anymore and must enjoy their family time. We realized this works great for all family members since it’s a controlled release of all of our emotions that is not directed to anyone specific. Nan Russell wrote in his article for JobsBankUSA, â€Å"Communication that builds trust is a dialogue, with a fountain built from integrity, forthrightness and honesty.† Without those three, you can’t build trust which results in the lack of communication and therefore, no relationship. Possessing integrity and never waiving from it shows that you have principles and you will do what is right at all times. If you waive from it, your forthrightness should be direct about what you did wrong, regardless of how petty it may seem to you, because it may mean everything to the other individual. Honesty is going to be what holds your relationship together; lies are never welcomed in any type of relationship. But you need to realize outside judgment may weight heavier with your significant other or your closest friends. Outside judgment of an individual can drastically affect their attitude, behavior and how they are perceived, not just from others, but how they see themselves; therefore, they seek communication with someone they trust. Nothing hurts more than unkind words, regardless if the person knows you personally or not. People don’t realize that some take what they hear about themselves literally, and some have taken to the bullying they have endured over the years by, unfortunately, taking their lives. Projecting a better attitude than what those people are saying shows that you are the bigger person and that you feel that regardless of what any one individual may say about you, you have your own best interest at heart, and perception doesn’t mean anything to you. Finding that someone that you can trust full heartedly is a task in itself. You let all your guard down when you are fully comfortable with an individual, hoping they are not judgmental about what they hear about your past and when you find the one that doesn’t perceive you how others may do, then you can realize that they won’t ask you to place your integrity into jeopardy and take your friends at face value, instead of placing them on the back burner. Lack of trust and communication can destroy friendships, families, marriages, jobs and romantic relationships; the things that people find to be the most important in their lives. Without trust in a friend, you will feel like they are just associates. Without trust in family, you will feel like an outsider when visiting for a family get-together. Lack of trust and communication in a marriage may result in a divorce. Lack of trust and communication in the job force could lead to unemployment or a death of a co-worker. Lack of communication in a romantic relationship could mean the end before it even began. Without knowing who you are as an individual, it may affect any type of relationship you have the desire for. With the understanding of your self-concept, you are able to appreciate yourself, how your partner sees you and vice versa; however, the opinion of how others see you may affect how you see yourself. There is nothing more appreciative then someone who is confident with who they are, as long as it does not come across as cocky. When an individual realizes who they are in this life, or who they want to be, it can be the driving force of their happiness, and happiness can be contagious. According to a quote in our textbook written by Sole (2011), â€Å"Your self-concept is learned, it is organized, it is dynamic and it is changeable (Purky, 1988).† Self-concept has been part of us since we were born; we were taught to respect ourselves and respect those that are older. It’s organized due to the understanding of how we approach who we want to be. Dynamic for the impact of how our own self-concept can change other’s opinions of themselves and of us and changeable because we simply don’t know what tomorrow will bring to our lives or take away. The environment that you decide to place yourself in is going to affect you as an individual. It will help mold you into the person you feel you are, build your self-esteem and self-image; you are interchangeable to provide adaption. Wherever and however you grew up in society does not mean you have to be the same later in life. Placing yourself in an environment that makes you happy, regardless if it’s your home or occupation, is going to affect who you are going turn out to be. It will assist you in some way of how you mold your life, but it’s up to you in how you end up getting molded. Having a high self-esteem can be the driving force of how you want the world to see you, and as a couple, having self-esteem as a unit is going to be how other couples want to be you. Self-image is the appreciation of yourself, how you carry your knowledge, confidence and maturity. Self-image is the impact of how others may see you, want to be you or feel threaten by you. Having a self-image that is threatening towards others can be the cause of many individuals not having the desire to converse with you, let alone be friends with you. The abilities we have to change assist us with any environmental adaption we may come across in our lifetime. We never know what type of situations we may be in five minutes from bow, but our self-esteem and self-image could mean the difference of how the circumstances may play out. Regardless, it’s how you want to see yourself and how you project yourself to the world. Even with the input of your partner, your family and friends, you are the one responsible for you; therefore, you need to figure out what makes you happy, take their opinions with a grain of salt and that you will change only when you feel it fits the situation. Making changes to your appearance, the way you talk or how you spend your time or money to impress someone isn’t going to win them over; therefore, you are making yourself miserable in the process when you can’t be your true self. When someone can’t accept you for who you are, what you do or how you act as a human being, that relationship may need reevaluated. When a family member or friend can’t understand why you behave the way you do, or come across as outspoken and confident, sit down and explain to them why you feel that certain way about the topic. Losing a family member or a dear friend over a few choice words or lack of understanding can be heart wrenching, so keep all forms of communication open without losing yourself in the mix of it all. Self-disclosure of each individual in a relationship, especially with your significant other, will help you reinforce what you thought about who you are as a couple and as yourself. Self-disclosure about what happened to you in your past that made you who you are today can be the most significant information to your partner, and have a better outcome then what you expected. How you want to purse a college degree, where you want to visit in the world or how many kids you want (adopted, fostered or natural) is some of the insight people are looking for when they decide to enter into a relationship. Holding back about how you may feel about situations that arise can be the uttermost biggest mistake when looking at any relationship you are trying to have in your life. Research study in 2010 by BMC Medical Research methodology found that â€Å"readiness for self-disclosure† was associated with higher relationship quality. Being able to disclose yourself by sharing your fears, doubts, private thoughts and how you perceive yourself can and will impact your relationship to the fullest extent. Who wouldn’t want someone to cling to when you come upon a fear? Nothing is better than having the comfort of someone’s arms around you when you need it most. To provide you words of encouragement when you start doubting yourself? Simply words can make the biggest impact when you feel that regardless of what you do, you are going to fail. Share your private thoughts with and knowing that they won’t be divulged regardless of the circumstances? Having that person you can tell any secret to, and know that it won’t be told, even under the worst circumstances, is one reason people have best friends from such a young age. Without self-disclosure, no one really knows who they are keeping company with or who they are. It’s the difference between a fake individual and a real friend. Without divulging information and hiding how you feel about any situation with your partner can be seen as breaking the trust in which your relationship was built, showing no care of how the other may feel and showing the lack of communication that could be built. Who would want to be with someone who simply broke your trust on a daily basis or showed the lack of caring about what you were discussing? I have found myself in these circumstances throughout my life. I have had a family member break my trust, communicated the most horrible words that could be spoken to a child and since have not communicated any words with that individual in over eighteen years. I have had the best partner in the world, who did everything in his power to bring a smile to my face, showed when I least expected it and showered me with hugs and kisses. He took his time to leave me notes on my door, made dinner arrangements at the weirdest locations and made the most beautiful impact in my life that I have actually compared others to him upon his death. I have raised a child that doesn’t communicate at all with his father, who doesn’t take the time to call his son or write a letter. Instead my child has the pleasure of communicating with his dad’s ex-girlfriend, has extended family that is not blood reach out to him and has realized at a tender age of eleven that not everyone is who they say they are or will be. He is lucky to have numerous people in his life that want to be a part of it. I have learned to remove myself from environments that impact my moods and attitude, learned to step back and appreciate my friends (regardless how few) and my family and come to realize that if a person doesn’t like me for being me, they don’t deserve to be part of my life or my children’s lives. May people have asked me why I have disconnected myself from so many, besides those that I work with, and I have come to explain to them that there is enough stress, unwanted drama in this world that I don’t want it in mine, and if they can respect that, they are more than welcome to remain in my life. I am trying to show my children that communication is a two way street, just like respect, and that both is needed to make our world a better place. There is no need to speak negatively about anyone they don’t know or towards one another, that action does speak louder than words at times and that regardless of any situation that they may come upon, I will be there. Enlightenment of any aspect of a relationship, regardless of if it’s with yourself or your significant other, can benefit either party with the knowledge that they may have been seeking or possibly feared. It’s about having the confidence of communication and understanding between two individuals that influences the lasting years between couples. â€Å"Love is to trust, hope and endure whatever may come (Bible).† References: Bible Heathfiled, Susan M. (2013). Listen with Your Eyes. Tips for Understanding Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved from: http://humanresources.about.com/od/interpersonalcommunicatio1/a/nonverbal_com.htm Russell, Nan (2006). Six Tips for Trust-Enhancing Communication. Retrieved from: http://www.jobbankusa.com/CareerArticles/Executive/ca111506b.html Schoenberg, Nara (2011, Jan). Can We Talk? Researcher Talks about the Role of Communication in Happy Marriages. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/docview/840600645/fulltext/13CBA1F7DFE34D3C383/1?accountid=32521 Skillsyouneed.com.uk. Barriers to Effective Communication. Retrieved from: http://www.skillsyouneed.co.uk/IPS/Barriers_Communication.html Sole, K. (2011). Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communications. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.