Not Everyone Deserves a Slice of You

Prioritizing your connections through give and take

Life is filled with people, but not all relationships deserve an equal slice of your time and energy. Friends, colleagues, acquaintances, old schoolmates—each has a role, but it’s easy to blur the lines and spread ourselves too thin. We may find ourselves caught up in one-sided relationships, giving our energy freely without seeing much in return. 

It all boils down to ensuring our relationships are mutually beneficial because relationships thrive on reciprocity—a rhythm of give and take—and it’s crucial to assess if that rhythm feels right. Often, it’s those draining connections that go unnoticed or unresolved until we’re burned out, feeling stretched and wondering where all our time went.

The challenge lies in identifying which relationships genuinely add to our lives and which ones quietly chip away at our energy. It’s easy to justify maintaining every connection out of a sense of duty or habit. Yet, without realizing it, we risk filling our days with endless check-ins and favors that seldom loop back into anything meaningful for us. 

Building an Energy Ledger

A good starting point is reflecting on the value exchange within our relationships. Think of it like an energy ledger. Some people add value effortlessly: they encourage us, challenge us, or simply make us feel valued. 

Others may not even realize the toll they take, yet somehow, the scales feel unbalanced. By recognizing this, we’re being intentional, and relationships without intentionality tend to fizzle out. One way to evaluate the strength of your connections is to consider how close you are to someone, in terms of shared values, support, and meaningful interactions.

Those who help us, we often help in turn. Reciprocity is the foundation of fruitful relationships where both parties feel valued and supported, helping each other grow. Giving attention to the right people matters deeply for us to be able and willing to reciprocate, and, as Mo Bunnell emphasizes in Give to Grow, “Showing someone attention is one of the most meaningful things you can do.”

You may be asking yourself, “how can I keep track of my intentional interactions with people I’ve given attention to?” And you’d be right to ask that at times when life seems to be moving fast and growing cumbersome.

Gain Clarity Through the Right Tools

Enter Covve’s personal CRM (pCRM). For those seeking to streamline and prioritize their connections, a pCRM is a tool for clarity. With features that remind us of key moments—birthdays, follow-ups, special memories—it becomes easier to nurture relationships thoughtfully. 

Rather than relying on memory, Covve’s pCRM gives a gentle nudge, helping you keep up with those who genuinely add to your life. It’s like having a personal assistant for your relationships, helping you show up when it counts without feeling overwhelmed by endless to-do lists.

The beauty of using a pCRM is in its simplicity. No more haphazard reminders or scrambling to recall important dates. By organizing connections this way, you’re free to focus on deepening relationships instead of merely keeping them afloat. 

Technology, in this sense, isn’t about taking over but enhancing your ability to be intentional. It’s about prioritizing those connections that deserve your energy, so you’re giving the right slice of yourself to the right people.

After all, not everyone deserves a slice of you—only those who bring out the best in you.

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