One requirement for a successful relationship is that your core values match. What do we mean by core values? Well, they are what you value – duh – and you’re gonna have to name them for yourself. Not everybody holds …
Why Are Core Values Important in Successful Relationships? Read more »
When we tell people we never argue, they don’t call us liars to our face, but there is often a strong whiff of incredulity in the air. It’s not that we agree on everything, but these disagreements don’t descend into …
What Is the Difference Between Disagreeing and Arguing? Read more »
A topic that is basic to having a successful relationship is individuality: seeing your partner as a complete and separate individual, and honoring and celebrating them for that fact. This one understanding leads to almost all the other elements of …
How to be Separate Individuals with a Successful Relationship Read more »
We were at a wedding and were captivated by two children playing. They were so filled with joy and the obvious pleasure of being together. Joy is such an important element in relationships, too. It’s easy to find it in …
How to Bring Joy to Relationship Problem Solving Read more »
I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the discussions we’ve had recently concerning power struggles within a relationship. We’ve been talking about John Gottman’s book “Why Marriages Succeed or Fail“. He observed many couples in terms of their conflicts and issues …
How to Avoid Power Struggles in Your Relationship Read more »
In our last blogs we’ve been talking about the Spectrum of Acceptance and Core Values which lie at one end of the spectrum. Next on the spectrum are the areas of middle ground. These are places of divergence between you and your …
Can This Relationship Work? Learn More About the Spectrum of Acceptance Read more »
Along with a discussion of core values, it is important to talk about The Spectrum of Acceptance. When we talk about successful relationships, we describe actions and values as lying along a spectrum. At one end of this spectrum are your deal …