The Matthew Byers Method

      “Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it’ll always get you the right ones.”   -         John Lennon       Any relationships worth having must be built on trust. Regardless of who you are associating with, people need to know that they can count on those with whom they interact to do the right thing. Whether these people are family, friends, acquaintances or co-workers, if you are not acting with honesty and integrity, then you will soon find that you will have fewer people who are willing to be associated with you. Besides protecting your reputation, the dynamic of social interaction does not work well if you cannot be honest and genuine with others.     Imagine being part of a sports team in which communication could not be trusted. In football, if a quarterback continually called plays in the huddle, didn’t audible to a different play at the line of scrimmage and simply threw the ball into the stands every single play, then his team would sure

        “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”   -         Dale Carnegie       How you spend your time directly impacts the quality and quantity of your associations in life. Many people who claim a low number of friendships and acquaintances seem to spend a great deal of time trying to convince people to like them. These people are very creative and descriptive in how their lives are somehow more interesting than the life of their contemporaries. Ironically, it’s actually the opposite action that has far more success. Showing interest in the lives of others is one of the best and most efficient ways of increasing your number of positive social interactions.     Unfortunately, we live in a society cut off from interpersonal interactions. Social media, Zoom calls and virtual events have taken the place of personal communication and social relatio

        “I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.”   -         Ralph Waldo Emerson       No matter what blessings you have in any aspect of your life, if you are not thankful for them, then you will likely not have them for long. What you are thankful for you will appreciate. More times than not, what you appreciate will be increased and reciprocated in kind. The same holds true for those with whom you associate. Whether your associations are family members, friends, acquaintances or your co-workers, the positive interactions in your life which demonstrate your appreciation and thankfulness will be like sowing seed in fertile ground. These positive interactions will become investments of loyalty, trust, friendship and love. These seeds will produce a harvest in your life that will bring to fruition lifelong friends, intimate lovers and co-workers whose relationships with you will transcend the boundaries of the workplace. In

      “He who hath many friends hath none.”   -         Aristotle       Having lots of friends can be great. The social interaction shared over caffeine, a delicious meal or other pleasant common sources of enjoyment can be exhilarating! As human beings, we are social creatures by our very nature. One of the most uniquely human traits is our ability to communicate through spoken language. Not only are we able to accomplish this task with ease, but our brains are wired to give us the desire to seek out both verbal and non-verbal cues and respond to them. You might ask “what evidence do you have to support this statement?” Let’s try an experiment:     Begin a Zoom call with any group of people of both men and women all around the same age. In seven-minute intervals, begin to yawn and stretch your arms. Then, watch your Zoom feed to see who else yawns or stretches as you do. You will immediately notice the person or, in some cases, multiple people who also yawn i

      “If you choose bad companions, no one will believe that you are anything but bad yourself.”   -         Aesop     Our direction in life is often impacted greatly by those with whom we associate. Whether it is our spouse, friends or family, each person we allow access to our world affects us more than we could ever realize. From where we decide to go to college, what area of the country we intend to live or even the career path we choose, the people that we spend the most time with exert a great amount of influence. More often than not, associations are a greater factor in one’s success or failure in life than many actually believe or admit.     Do you remember the last time that you were in a toxic long-term romantic relationship? How integrated were your lives? Was the relationship with a co-worker? Did you live together? Were there common friends even before the romance blossomed? Were you both living in the same city or town? Were you married to each othe

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”   -         Matthew 6:24 (ESV)         What is salvation? Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines salvation as a deliverance from the power and effects of sin. Once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you are ever seeking to please him. Before accepting the free gift of salvation, you were a slave to sin. After a salvation experience, your life is devoted to Christ. When you are changed from the inside, your heart desires to live a life that gives glory to God. The result of your conversion is that you begin to love others as you love yourself. Materialistic ideologies, wealth and accumulating possessions are no longer a priority. You have been set free!     How does salvation tie in with minimalism? Jesus Christ spoke of principles of avoiding covetousness and living simply throughout