RELATIONAL SUCCESS COURSE
Learning to Balance Power and Intimacy in Relationships
RELATIONAL SUCCESS
Many of us struggle in our relationships with the people we love. Over the years, I have often wondered what makes relationships successful. What are people really looking for that helps them feel happy, fulfilled, and connected?
The foundation of Relational Success comes from an idea that one of my graduate school professors mentioned many years ago. He suggested that there are two important things people need in life: Power and Intimacy.
I have used this idea for more than 25 years and have found it extremely helpful both in my work with clients and in my own life. Power and Intimacy represent two different relational needs. Power helps us protect ourselves, have a voice, make choices, establish boundaries, and influence what happens in our lives. Intimacy helps us connect, trust, care, cooperate, and experience ourselves as valued and significant to other people.
These two needs are both important, but they often pull us in different directions. They are like oil and vinegar in the salad of life. Too much of one can lose the flavor of the other. As we place greater emphasis on one, we tend to place less emphasis on the other. The challenge of Relational Success is learning how to recognize that balance and adjust it when necessary.
The answer: The first thing we need to do is discover where we fall on the balance between Power and Intimacy. From there, we can begin learning how to create greater balance in ourselves and in our relationships.
Where do you fall?
Lighthouse on rocky coast during sunset.