4 ways to strengthen your relationship AND self

When we started as business partners, we were also roommates and best friends. Working together all day, hanging out socially, and living together -- together 24-7!  After six years, we’re no longer roommates, but our relationship as friends and business partners is as strong as ever.  People are often interested in our “secrets” to getting along so well. (We’ve even been asked if it’s an act we put on but quickly stop once we’re alone -- it most definitely is NOT.) While it may seem strange to talk about working together in a blog about “self”, we think it makes perfect sense.  A strong sense of self is key to being able to share thoughts, experiences, and growth with another person.  Our other keys for healthy relationships -- whether business, friendship, or romantic...

See differences as part of a stronger whole: We each bring different personalities and attributes to the table.  By combining our strengths, the concepts and projects that we come up with together are better. Plus, we have each other’s backs at all times. If one of us is better at something, it doesn’t mean that the other doesn’t attempt to try. It means she tries, knowing that she has support from an expert!

Be clear about who’s doing what: Two people can either get things done twice as fast or half as fast. Debating the details of mundane day-to-day tasks? Waste of time.  Dividing up a project and then meeting later to put the pieces together and collaborate on the final product? Saves time and leads to a better outcome.  We make a to-do list at the beginning of each week, divide the tasks evenly, and plan time into our week for projects we want to brainstorm together.

Remember the Golden Rule:  We ALWAYS say thank you to one another.  Even when it comes to things that are expected parts of our jobs.  It’s easy to take the people we interact with on a daily basis for granted in terms of being polite, understanding, supportive, and kind.  But the people who are most important to us deserve these things the most! Do unto others...

Truly enjoy one another’s company: We might have been able to “fake it” for a year or two, but if we didn’t genuinely enjoy working together, we wouldn’t.  When you partner up with someone you genuinely want to work with, you have fun, enjoy otherwise mundane tasks, and persevere through tougher times . That sense of fun and happiness allows your best self to move forward...which in turn means a stronger team and a stronger self.