Thinking Like an Entrepreneur in Relationships
What are the traits of successful entrepreneurs? What are the keys to successful long-term relationships? Surprisingly, they are more similar than you may have imagined.
As you probably know, I love reading about and networking with successful entrepreneurs. Their magnetism and energy have always intrigued me since I was little. I have also always looked up to those who are in successful long-term relationships or marriages. Thinking about my grandparents (who have been married for over 50 years) and my parents (over 25 years), I am always tempted to ask, “How the heck did you do it?!”
When researching for this post, I read several articles about both successful entrepreneurs and successful relationships and found some interesting stuff.
Here is my conclusion on traits that make a successful entrepreneur:
• The ability to adapt to change and experiment with new ideas.
• The ability to collaborate with others and accept that you can’t be the master at every skill required to run your business successfully.
• Successful entrepreneurs think BIG and think ahead by planning and goal setting.
• Entrepreneurs have a high tolerance for uncertainty.
• They also have a lot of confidence.
• They possess a strong willingness to work at it no matter how bad things get, how tired they are, or how many hours they worked that day.
Do you see the parallel? Apply these points to your relationship.
For example, collaborating with others. Each person in the relationship has strengths and weaknesses. For example one person might be a fabulous cook but not so good at remembering to pick up around the house. Rather than fight it, the successful entrepreneur would accept their strengths/weaknesses and bring it to light with their partner so that the roles are put in place, therefore avoiding conflict and moving on to more important things.
Adapting to change and being an innovator. A lot has changed since my grandparents got married in 1955. They were smart enough to adapt to the times, their situations and their struggles and find new ways to overcome obstacles. Any successful relationship is always evolving, even in simple ways such as going on fun new dates, traveling to new places together, or finding a new recipe for dinner you both enjoy. Your ability to innovate will help you overcome adversity and stick together.
The most obvious connection here is the last bullet point: Successful relationships consist of two people who are willing to work at it every day no matter what. The relationship is of top importance and they see beyond the day to day and have a bigger picture for the future. “Relationship entrepreneurs” see a huge return on their investment of time, energy and love. They have confidence that they can overcome adversity together and share a common vision for their relationship/future. Sounds oddly similar to a business, doesn’t it?
In an age of economic turmoil, at least we know can keep our relationships out of emotional bankruptcy by thinking more like an entrepreneur. We can also stop personalizing the little things by being confident, thinking constructively about how to innovate new solutions and work towards our long term goals together.
