Knowing the basic numerology of your friends and family can dramatically reframe your relationships.

Why?

First of all, it allows you some distance from them and encourages you to see each person in your life truly as traveling their own path and living their own life. Sure, you’re obviously playing a part in it as a friend, colleague, or family member.

Yet let’s be honest; we often get really enmeshed, controlling, and judgmental about how the people we know should be living their lives (according to whom? According to YOU of course!). So just getting a handle around the idea that they’re here to do their thing, and it probably isn’t necessarily your thing!

Second: When you can understand that their life path – just like yours – is what they’re striving toward and yet it’s also what they’ll find the most difficult and challenging. So they’re going to face obstacles in their lives that aren’t necessarily your obstacles, and yet they’re equally as valid as yours.

When you can grasp the basics of what they’re up against, you might be able to cut them some slack and go with their flow a bit more than you might if you weren’t aware of their Life Path number.

For instance: You have a friend who just drives you crazy because he overindulges in food and alcohol and honestly, you’re worried about him. You’ve brought it up with him, yet he just won’t change his habits. Then you calculate his Life Path number and “Eureka!” You see he’s a 5 Life Path.

Guess what? Most 5 Life Paths have issues with excess in one form or another. THIS ISN’T AN EXCUSE OR PERMISSION TO BECOME AN ADDICT. What it does indicate to you, as his friend, is that this is a core issue in his life and while it may be easy for you to modulate your intake of food and alcohol, this is a true life lesson for your 5 Path friend.

Perhaps by gently pointing out to your 5 Life Path pal (if s/he’s open to it – otherwise, zip your lip!) what their 5 Life Path is all about, then they can begin to position themselves differently. We all know that all of us have to want to change; no one can do it for us.

Third: By knowing the Life Path number of your inner circle, you can understand what you might be able to provide for them that would be beneficial for both of you.

For example, if I have a family member who’s a 2 Life Path, I automatically know that (even if they don’t show it on the outside), that person is extremely emotionally sensitive, thrives on giving and receiving love, and (when operating in their positive realm) loves to be of service to a group effort. I will also know that one of the things a 2 Life Path feels they don’t get enough of is acknowledgement and being heard.

So if I know this, I have the opportunity to key into them in a different way than before. If I care about them and want to improve my relationship with them, I’ll be more mindful about verbally acknowledging the things they do, asking them more often how they are and then listening to them without judgment. Now, you might think that this is out of your character to do these things, yet I’ll guarantee you that a 2 Life Path person will blossom with consistent positive reinforcement. We can all benefit from this kind of interaction, yet a 2 Life Path truly thrives on it.

Fourth: If you’re a parent, knowing what’s at the core of what makes your child tick is an invaluable tool.

Say you have a 6 Life Path child. S/he is this little magnetic dynamo! Yet the best parenting tool you can employ with this precocious child is this: Always praise first! Correct or instruct second. A 6 Life Path child isn’t all that open to listening to constructive criticism! Often they will act as though they are the parent in the family, so knowing that you’ve got a strong-willed kid who will benefit from authentic praise first (“I’m so impressed with the way you cleaned up your room today!”) and the corrective second (“You did an amazing job. What would make it even more amazing is if you picked up the dirty clothes that are next to the hamper and ran them down to the laundry room. Then I can have your favorite shirt clean for you for school tomorrow.”)

Coming right out of the chute with: “You never pick up your dirty clothes! I can’t even see your floor. How many times do I have to tell you that picking up your clothes is part of cleaning up your room?!” won’t be effective on a 6 Life Path child.

Of course, most of us parents can see that attempting to get any child to do their chores by the above tactic would’nt be all that beneficial. Yet as parents, we aren’t super-human; we lose our temper. We get exasperated. Knowing our children’s numbers can assist us in understanding them and communicating in a more supportive manner and also remind us that each of our children truly are different and operate differently than each other.

Fifth: Your spouse or partner. Knowing their numerology basics will give you a window into their world and into how you both support and are challenged by certain aspects of your relationship.

Keep this in mind: 1, 5 and 7 are naturally synergetic with each other. They’re a little pod of Thinking Numbers. They’re always thinking.

2, 4, and 8 are naturally matching to each other. They’re a little pod of Business Numbers. Always taking care of the business of love (2), the business of stability (4) and the business of money (8).

And 3, 6, and 9 are a little pod of Creative Numbers. These guys are always creating something.