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February
Are Your Partnerships Shipshape? The Top Ten
Practices of Enlightened Partners
Partnerships are in many ways like real, seagoing
ships. Just like a sailing vessel needs regular,
constant care and upkeep, your partnerships need
regular care and upkeep. The crew of a sailing ship
is knowledgeable in the standard practices of
seamanship, which is absolutely required to
maintain a ship's seaworthiness. Unfortunately,
most people are not knowledgeable in the standard
practices of maintaining their partner-ships.
Yet, most people in partnerships of any kind are
usually focused on the goals of the partnership,
whether building a life or a business or a
community center. There is very little attention
paid to the partner-ship itself. And often,
somewhere along the voyage of life, the
partner-ship is unable to withstand the inevitable
and predictable storms of life that can damage both
the partners and the partner-ship. Maintaining a
strong, stable, satisfying partner-ship requires
knowledge and skill - neither of which is commonly
taught in our culture.
Enlightened partnerships are distinguished both
by the shared vision that guides the partnership as
well as the standard practices of its partners.
Enlightened partnerships are created and maintained
through specific standard practices. Unfortunately,
these practices are uncommon in a popular culture
gripped by fear and ignorance. But, through the
commitment to learn and use these practices, the
partners and the partnership are elevated to new
heights that uplift and evolve the soul.
Below we offer for your consideration the Top
Ten Practices of Enlightened Partners to help you
in building and maintaining strong, durable and
enlightened partnerships.
Top Ten Practices of Enlightened Partners
1. Write down the purpose and desired results
for your partnership. A partnership without a
stated purpose and intended results is like a ship
setting sail without a chart or plotted course. The
purpose should be stated in a way that lifts the
spirit of all partners.
2. Make choices grounded in love rather than
fear. Become aware of your automatic reactions that
are based in fear and look for the love choice
instead. Ask yourself, what would love do or say in
this situation?
3. Mutually agree upon strategies for dealing
with predictable breakdowns, i.e.,
miscommunications, upsets or disagreements and use
them when needed. It is important to have these
strategies in place before the breakdowns occur. It
is difficult, if not impossible, to create and
implement them in the middle of a breakdown.
4. Commit to win/win outcomes; don't settle for
anyone being the loser. For the partnership to win,
all partners need to win. If anyone in the
partnership loses, the entire partnership loses.
Keep asking questions that lead you to the win/win
outcome.
5. Communicate honestly from the heart and
practice high performance listening. People respond
positively to the expression of heart-felt truth
because it builds trust, even if they don't agree
with it. High performance listening is listening
without judgment for the concerns of the other
person that may be hidden behind their words.
6. Assume personal responsibility for your
emotional reality and refrain from blame. Blame and
projection will pollute the emotional climate of a
partnership faster than anything.
7. Take the initiative for the satisfaction of
your own needs and wants and make clear requests of
others that inspire their cooperation. Don't wait
for people to guess what will make you happy.
Nobody likes to endure demands or covert
manipulation.
8. Share power rather than struggle for it. Let
go of the need to be right all the time. Value
others ideas and perceptions as being as valid as
your own. Heal your unresolved power/authority
issues from the past.
9. See problems as opportunities. Every problem
contains the gift of spiritual development within
it. Learn to unwrap the package.
10. Nurture a conscious relationship with your
Soul. The more spiritually attuned you are, the
more enlightened you and your partnerships will
be.
©2008, Paul
& Layne Cutright
* * *
Lovers know what they want, but not what they
need. - Publilius Syrus
Paul
and Layne Cutright are marriage and business
partners who have been teaching principles and
practices for successful relationships since 1976.
They are the founders of The Center for Enlightened
Partnership (www.enlightenedpartners.com),
an online learning and resource center providing
e-learning products, teleclasses and coaching. They
are authors of the Amazon Best Seller,
You’re
Never Upset for the Reason You
Think and
Straight
From the Heart. They
publish a free monthly e-zine filled with
inspiration and practical tools for all your valued
relationships (www.enlightenedpartners.com/newsletter.html).
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