Outset

At the outset in committing to relationship

“The truth of any relationship can be known at the outset.”

"At the outset it is necessary to learn discernment. Why spend five years finding out that you really cannot be married to this person when you could have found out in five days or, as your discernment becomes more refined, in five minutes? Many people say after five years, if they have discovered that their relationship cannot proceed and cannot grow, 'I knew this at the beginning, but I would not listen to what I knew.' They could see these elements in the other person, and they could see their incompatibilities, but they did not want to look because they wanted to be with that person. They wanted the experience of being together. They wanted to escape loneliness and isolation. Yet it is far better to be alone than to be improperly engaged with another. Improper engagement, if it is maintained, will destroy your motivation and your life force. This is very true."

At the outset of a new life

"At the very outset, there must be simplification and clarification. Your relationship with any thing, person or place that is not essential or that is counterproductive will rob you of vision, energy, purpose and meaning."

See also

• Questions to consider

Further study

• Relationships & Higher Purpose, Chapter 12: Establishing Relationships