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How Moving Our Office is Like Your Relationships
By Susie and Otto Collins
A few weeks ago we began to consider moving our home office from upstairs to
downstairs. The "upstairs" office had a lovely skylight but the down
side was that we couldn't see the computer screen for at least 5 hours out of
the day because of the sun.
This weekend we actually made the decision and moved the office. It took all day
Saturday to do this and a lot of "heaving" and "hoeing."
When we were done moving, it occurred to us that there were some incredible
similarities between our office move and how most of us "do"
relationships.
Here are some similarities for you to consider:..
1. We were comfortable upstairs--we had air conditioning and a comfortable
lounge chair, neither of which are in the new office. In relationships, we get
comfortable in our patterns with our mate, family members, or co-workers and
often just don't want to tackle some hard issues that need to be addressed. We
know what needs to be done, but for whatever reason, we just don't
want to make that "move'" and challenge the situation. We may talk
with a friend, co-worker or even a total stranger about the problem but are
unwilling to speak to the one person with whom
you have an issue.
2. We were uncertain whether this move would really be for the best--whether the
pros outweighed the cons in our new office space. In relationships we'd often
rather stay "stuck" in situations
that are familiar to us than make changes where the outcome is uncertain. We
don't know whether bringing up a certain subject or idea would really be for the
best--Would it make things better or worse in our relationship?
3. Our "upstairs" office was great except for this one little part--we
couldn't work on the computer for several hours during the day. We worked around
this "little part" until it just had become impossible to do so. In
relationships, we admit
that everything is "perfect" except for this one "little
part." We skirt this issue, hide it, and just don't want to face it.
Whenever we say (about anything)"This is great but . . ." we are
justifying or settling for something less than what we really want out of life.
After the move, we have discovered that the new office space feels really good
and we're glad that we made the switch. In relationships, we have found that
it's often difficult and even
painful to tackle the hard issues when they come up but after we do, we feel
much lighter, more energized, more honest and more loving.
To us, this isn't about dumping on your partner. This is about tearing down the
walls so that you can have a healthier relationship. We've found that this works
in your job situation as
well in as your personal relationships. We've also found that things might
appear to get worse before they get better when you tackle those jugular issues.
For us, this has been the only way to create healthy relationships.
So this week, we suggest that you consider doing something that you've been
thinking about doing for awhile but have been afraid to do so. It might be a
project that you'd like to do or reaching out to someone who is estranged from
you. But, the most important thing is to step out of your comfort zone and take
your life to the next level.
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