Hey fam bam,  I know I’ve been stressing the importance of self-love even when or should I say especially when you find yourself in a relationship, however, this does not mean you do not contribute to the greater good of your relationship. Before we get into today’s discussion, you should read up on our previous discussions for a better perspective. Something I talked about in a previous article about adding value to your partner and vice versa. Today I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about the power of teamwork especially when it comes to your relationship and the household. You know what they say, “teamwork makes the dream work” so here we go!

Setting Common Goals

Teamwork in a relationship is useful for setting and accomplishing common goals. This is an opportunity to join heads with your partner to identify goals that benefit your relationship and household, while also coming up with a strategy as to how to achieve them so you’re both working towards the same unified goal. Say, for example, you and your partner have set a goal to save for a family car. You both agree to achieve this by not eating out for the next six months and instead put the money towards the car in a savings pot/account. This means you’re both on the same page and in agreement as to what the goal is and what needs to be done to achieve it. You will note that communication is key here. This is exactly how David and I achieve our mutual goals like meeting our YouTube upload schedule because it is something that requires a coordinated effort from both parties especially given our busy lives.

Taking Responsibility

Now you’ve set common goals and have an agreement as to how to achieve said goals, each party is now responsible for accomplishing the goals. This means both you and your partner take responsibility in bringing your goals to life. You are both aware of what needs to be done as well as when and how to do it. Taking responsibility means you become accountable for your actions towards your shared goals.

Following on from the example above, if you decide on your own to continue eating out and not pulling your full weight when it comes to the car contributions and your partner sticks to the agreed plan, then you must be prepared to take account of your inaction or disregard of the plan set in motion which you both agreed to. This could bring about a breakdown in trust and communication as your partner can begin to view you as someone who cannot be trusted on certain issues. Especially if you can’t commit to something that benefits you and your household.

Opportunity To Bond

I’m sure you must have heard the saying “no man is an island” or “there is no I in team”. Well, both are correct to the extent that they apply in this scenario of teamwork with your partner. When done well, teamwork gives you an opportunity to grow and bond with your partner. As you continue to work together in setting, planning and achieving your common goals, you will see trust and communication grow as well. You’ll be able to lean and rely on each other because you know you’ve got each other’s back, demonstrated by the fact of working in unison on something that benefits your relationship.

In Summary

Continue to work on self-love while still creating space to achieve common goals with your partner because working in unison towards your common goals brings about taking responsibility and accountability in your relationship while building trust and communication.