The Difference Between Partnership and Relationship
What’s the difference between partnership and relationship? In this video, discover why partnerships are stable and relationships end.
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In this week’s Last First Date Radio podcast episode, relationship coach, Ken Bechtel, spoke about knowing the difference between partnership and relationship. He said, “If we look at what relationship means, it’s how two people relate or behave towards each other. Partnership is a team, a shared soul level relationship. That’s the key. If you’re in a partnership, you’re in an agreement, so when they’re not with you, you’re still connected and working towards a mutual goal...A partnership is like a teeter totter, where each is fully engaged. You participate together.”
In this video, I dive deeper into the differences between partnership and relationship.
The Difference Between Partnership and Relationship
Why do so many relationships fail?
Many people rush into their relationships. We finally meet someone great. We feel a strong connection. He ticks off the important items on our must have list. We fall in love.
But…just because you feel love for someone, it doesn’t mean the relationship will last. In true partnership, love is stronger than it is in a relationship. Why?
In partnership, the ‘WE’ is more important than the ‘I’.
When a couple in partnership disagree, they’re willing to have tough conversations—not to prove they’re right or the other person is wrong. But, to get closer. They value the relationship more than their ego. They’re willing to be vulnerable with each other.
In partnership, a couple has shared goals.
In relationships, you can have different ideas about the future. Partnership supports a couple’s shared goals.
Relationships begin with feelings; partnerships are about prioritizing and nurturing each other’s feelings and needs.
The reason many relationships fail is couples come together because of feelings and chemistry, and when the feelings are gone, the relationship is over. That’s because the foundation isn’t solid.
In a partnership, a couple nurtures the feelings forged in a relationship every day. If relationships are about finding the feelings, partnerships are about proving how real they are. A partnership is about emotional integrity.
Relationships can be fleeting; partnerships are more stable.
Relationships can look great on the outside, but are often unstable on the inside. The solid foundation is missing, and when that happens, they fall apart.
Partnerships take time, practice and trust. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to nurture their relationships into partnerships. It takes effort, and putting your ego aside to be there for each other.
In partnership, you are two stable, confident and caring people looking out for one another, but never dependent on each other to feel whole and complete.
Relationships are about seeking pleasure; partnerships are about seeking purpose.
In relationships, there is often anxiety, which can be what keeps sexual tension going for some time. We seek pleasure in relationships to escape pain — the pain of being alone, the pain of rejection, the pain of feeling unworthy.
When a couple reaches the stage of partnership, they are not trying to escape or fill a void. There are no more extreme highs and lows. There is less uncertainty and anxiety. There is stability and comfort.
People say they want to be in a relationship, but few couples can handle being in partnership. You can be in a relationship with someone completely wrong for you, and when it ends, the heartbreak can be destructive to your sense of self.
Partnerships can never be destructive, because to be in partnership, you’re always working to do what’s best to grow and nurture the relationship, and to grow and nurture yourself as well.
How do you form a partnership?
Ken says to date SAFER:
- Self-confident
- Authentic
- Fun
- Excited
- Receptive
From Ken: “We tend to hide who we really are and what we need if we feel attracted to a man. We play it cool. Be honest. You need to show him that you like him if you do. If a man does something for you, stop thinking there’s a string attached. Receive it. Appreciate it.”
Please share your experience with being in a relationship vs. being in partnership.
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