Getting By Giving
Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you.· André Gide
Ten Characteristics of a Conscious Marriage
1. You
realize that your love relationship has a hidden purpose - the healing of
childhood wounds. Instead of focusing entirely on surface needs and desires,
you learn to recognize the unresolved childhood issues that underlie them. When
you look at marriage with this X-ray vision, your daily interactions take on
more meaning. Puzzling aspects of your relationship begin to make sense to you
and you have a greater sense of control.
2. Your
create a more accurate image of your partner. At the very moment of attraction,
you began fusing your lover with your primary caretakers. Later you projected
your negative traits onto your partner, further obscuring your partner's
essential reality. As you move toward a conscious marriage, you gradually let
go of these illusions and begin to see more of our partner's truth. You see
your partner not as your savior, but as another wounded human being, struggling
to be healed.
3. You take
responsibility for communicating your needs and desires to your partner. In an
unconscious marriage, you cling to the childhood belief that your partner
automatically intuits your needs. In a conscious marriage, you accept the fact
that, in order to understand one another, you have to develop clear channels of
communication.
4. You
become more intentional in your interactions. In an unconscious marriage, you
tend to react without thinking. You allow the primitive response of your old
brain to control your behavior. In a conscious marriage, you train yourself to
behave in a more constructive manner.
5. You
learn to value your partner's needs and wishes as highly as you value your own.
In an unconscious marriage, your assume that your partner's role in life is to
take care of your needs magically. In a conscious marriage, you let go of this
narcissistic view and divert more of your energy to meeting your partner's
needs.
6. You
embrace the dark side of your personality. In a conscious marriage, you openly
acknowledge the fact that you, like everyone else, has negative traits. As you
accept responsibility for this dark side of your nature, you lessen your
tendency to project your negative traits onto your mate, which creates a less
hostile environment.
7. You
learn new techniques to satisfy your basic needs and desires. During the power
struggle (stage), you cajole, harangue, and blame in an attempt to coerce your
partner to meet your needs. When you move beyond this stage, you realize your
partner can indeed be a resource for you - once you abandon your self-defeating
tactics.
8. You
search within yourself for the strengths and abilities you are lacking. One
reason you were attracted to your partner is that your partner had strengths
and abilities that your lacked. Therefore, being with your partner gave you an
illusory sense of wholeness. In a conscious marriage, you learn that the only
way you can truly recapture a sense of oneness is to develop the hidden traits
within yourself.
9. You
become more aware of your drive to be loving and whole and united with the
universe. As part of your God-given nature, you have the ability to love
unconditionally and to experience unity with the world around you. Social
conditioning and imperfect parenting made you lose touch with these qualities.
In a conscious marriage, you begin to rediscover your original nature.
10. You accept the difficulty of creating a good marriage. In an unconscious marriage, you believe that the way to have a good marriage is the pick the right partner. In a conscious marriage, you realize you have to be the right partner. As you gain a more realistic view of love relationships, you realize that a good marriage requires commitment, discipline, and the courage to grow and change; marriage is hard work.
- Harville Hendrix PhD, “Getting the Love You Want - a
Guide for Couples"
· Albert Einstein
The key to being happy and fulfilled is giving. Sharing
ourselves gives us satisfaction, peace of mind, and a reason to get out of bed
every day.
So, what can you give to others? See the list below:
Your time
How many of you are too busy with your own lives to give
your time to others? Being busy is an excuse and a reason not to go out of your
way. People need you and love you. Make the time.
Your Support
How many of you support the people you in your life? What
I mean by support is encouragement to try something new. Just because it didn't
work for you doesn't mean it won't work for them. And, just because it didn't
work for them in the past, doesn't mean that it won't work in the future.
There's nothing better than telling a person that they can do whatever they
want in this world. And this time, please mean it.
Your Acceptance
This may be a toughie for some
of you. This means unconditional love and the ability to acknowledge someone
for who they are and not what you want them to be. It means giving up how you
think their life should go, and accepting what they want to do with their
lives. It means getting out of the way so they can fulfill their dreams.
Your Attention
How many of you really listen? For everyone who just
said, "of course I do", then why are the people in your life asking
you to repeat what they just said? It's because they know you didn't hear them.
Take a few minutes, stop what you are doing, and focus in on the people you love.
Aren't they worth it? And who knows, you may even learn something you thought
you already knew.
Your Forgiveness
Forgive people for past mistakes and hurts. After all,
they are only human. (We miss this sometimes!) Plus, have you've been the model
human being? This really is one of the greatest gifts you can give another
person. And, they'll never forget you for it either!
Your Patience
How many of you can't even be with the people you love
because they are taking too long to tell a story or longer than "you
think" to complete a project. How do you know there isn't a better way to
do something? Does it always have to be done your way? Having patience with
people shows them that they are respected and loved. Isn't this a better way to
have a relationship
Your Love
People want to know they are special in your life and you
care about them. If there are conversations you need to have so you are not
angry with them anymore, but you are afraid, my advice is to have them anyway.
Sometimes you have to take a risk to achieve an open and rewarding
relationship. Take the risk and give your love.
And, as you are reaching the end of the article you may
ask, "What about me?" Life is bigger than you, so please approach it
that way. And, isn't being happy and fulfilled the reason you are reading this
article anyway?
- Deborah Brown Contributor, Personal Coach and
motivational speaker. Deborah Brown also writes weekly newsletter "Surpass
Your Dreams" to help people achieve the life of their dreams. To learn
more, visit surpassyourdreams.com,
or send an email to info@surpassyourdreams.com or call (516) 432-2440
today!
Michael
email: Michael@N-Spire.com
