POWER STRUGGLES = NO surrender. NO LOVE. I’d rather be RIGHT!

“Try to see it my way,
Do I have to keep on talking till I can’t go on?
While you see it your way,
Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone”.
~John Lennon, Paul McCartney “We Can Work It Out”

What is a Power Struggle?

A power struggle occurs when being right is more important than being connected and in love. Basically it’s when union and communion is subverted for righteous triumph.

A good rule of thumb is that if you and your partner both feel that yours is the only correct solution, then chances are, you are in a power struggle.

Usually Power Struggles have little to do with what you are actually talking about, and everything to do with how each feels about their place and position in the relationship.  An argument could begin over something innocuous— where to eat, what movie to see, who was supposed to pick up what, when this or that was supposed to occur… but ends up being a referendum on the relationship as a whole.

 If you or your partner become stuck in righteous, blaming, unbending, know it all, “my-way-or-the- highway,” ” I’m right, you’re wrong” thinking, and/or you stop listening, become defensive, arm up, and feel righteous about your position, it’s a pretty good indicator that you are in a power struggle.

 A power struggle drains the blood and life force out of shared love and  instead, creates separation and a lose/lose situation.   Winning and being right becomes more important than being in love.   And once the dust settles, we are left with the painful result of our  behavioral choices….. ‘Where did my beloved go?’

Power struggles are poison to maintaining  a healthy, happy, open relationship.

How do I avoid being in a power struggle with my partner?

The best way to avoid being in a power struggle is to realize that even if you win the battle, you lose the war. If one of you has a problem, it’s a WE problem, not a ME problem. If one partner is stuck and polarized in opposition, then there is a WE problem.

You can meet and match fear with fear, or you can hold the heart of the relationship in your arms and calm your partner. Treat your partner as your best friend. Listen, find that place of mutual agreement, because the truth is neither one of you is 100% right and neither one of you is 100% wrong.

The task at hand is finding a way to move away from the energy of competition (me vs. you) to cooperation (we are a team). Change your focus from looking for what’s wrong, to searching for what’s right- a place you agree with what your partner is saying. Start there.

“Seeing others as basically compassionate instead of hostile and selfish helps us relax, trust, live at ease. It makes us happier.” ~The 14th Dalai Lama

The Chatting or Cheating Power Struggle ANTIDOTE

“A power struggle collapses when you withdraw your energy from it. Power struggles become uninteresting to you when you change your intention from winning to learning about yourself.”
Gary Zukav & Linda Francis

ASK Yourself….

 Remember this mantra: What divides US, weakens US.   Whenever a problem or issue arises, stop and ask yourself… “How would love respond?”

You Might Also Like:

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• Power Struggles: Why Being Right Can Make Everything Wrong
• 6 Passion Boosting Tips to Bring LOVE Back to Your LOVE Life