Putting the A in Relationship

Let's put an A in relationship. The art of being authentic in a relationship is exactly that....art! It's beautiful when it's there and not complete when its missing. When we love someone, truly, the love creates a drawing power. The power may cause us to back away from our authentic selves. We may agree to things we are not comfortable with. We may hide parts of ourselves that bring us happiness. This is not to say we cannot get out of the comfort zone, try new things and build new habits. But, it is to say we need to know who we are before we can understand how the "WE" of the relationship can grow on. Relationships in AWE cannot be without the A. The respect, care and trust of psychological safety needs authenticity. Can you tell your partner when you are struggling? Can you tell your partner when you feel disrespected? Can you whole-heartedly tell your partner you trust them? If you have answered "no" to any of these, then its time to examine the A. How? Its going to take some grit and is going to test the resilience of the relationship. Are you ready for that? Then, let's check out a few steps to grow together. We already know the relationship will need a safe space to meaningfully connect. No distractions! One way to do this is to have a relationship check-in once a week. Come prepared and ready to discuss, but have ground rules in place first. Every problem has a solution. Ground rule one: Stay solution focused. We will all feel defensive from time to time. Ground rule two: Active Listening is a must. No talking over each other, reflect back what the other person is saying and develop understanding together. We tend to like to be right. All humans like to be right. Learning to be wrong and accept feedback is tough, but mandatory. Ground rule three: It's not about me being right it's about we being right. Come together on a solution and write it down! When we can begin to have real conversations and bring our whole self to the table each time; we can begin to put the A back into our relationship! Stay authentic, well and empowered!