In my Public Affairs class last night we talked quite a bit about relationships – the “R” word – and their importance in the whole PR/PA arena. It is also something that’s come up in the other reading and research I’ve done.

When I interviewed my former manager, Karen, she pointed out that she’s had to do a tremendous amount of relationship-building with fellow professionals and with politicians in order to really feel like she is accomplishing something through her office’s advocacy efforts. When I interviewed Mass. State Senator Brewer, he talked about the way social media has changed the types of relationships he has with his constituents.

Relationships surround us every waking moment. We have them with friends, family, colleagues, teachers. We even have them with our pets. Because they surround us so completely, it might be easy to take them for granted but we can’t do that. These relationships help us navigate through the world, through life.

Embrace the “R” word.

Make sure you’re paying attention to all of your relationships, whether they are personal or professional. Keep your current ones active… and maybe it is time to revive a few. Who out there haven’t you talked to in a while? Drop them an email. Give them a call. Tweet them. Poke them on Facebook.

Do something.

A relationship can’t survive without attention.