Every relationship involves a balance of power. Between two friends, two business associates, two family members or two lovers, that balance is often tipped in one direction. One person feels more powerful and the other feels less powerful. One of the reasons we adore our precious pets and our developing babies is that we have an enormous sense of power and control – at first. However, if you do not develop the 10 essential relationship powers, you may soon start to feel powerless – no matter how that relationship began. Continue reading
Tag Archives: good communication
Other People Make Relationships Difficult – 3 Questions To Ask Yourself
“Some people have all the luck,” my friend recently told me. “I always choose the wrong men.” She went on to explain her latest relationship fiasco and how her partner got defensive, “as he always does,” and broke up with her. Her immediate response was to blame him for not being good at relationships, for not caring enough and for not appreciating everything she did for him.
The part that my friend left out of the equation was the subtle and not so subtle ways that she pushed her partner away and stopped him from feeling safe in her presence. She forgets to mention the numerous times she unfairly criticized him, told him what she thought he should or should not do, and refused to listen to his perspective on a problem. Continue reading
Speak Up – 3 Steps to Having that Important Relationship Conversation
We have all heard that relationships require good communication, honest and open sharing about what truly matters. However, most of us can easily fall into a rut in which we attempt to talk about the elephant in the room but our partner stops us in our tracks. For many of us it seems easier to just let it go than to keep harping on a difficult issue. What would you do Continue reading