Be Supportive Of Your Partner's Dreams

Everyone has dreams, which are aspirations we all hope to accomplish. But what many people don't have is a supportive partner.

To accomplish one's dreams may mean taking great risk. For example, becoming an entrepreneur often entails risk. To change careers brings risks and sometimes a downsizing of one's lifestyle to live on a reduced overhead. It might also require going back to school.

A common reaction from one's partner might be to get emotional and to scream, "Are you crazy?" Or it might be to shout, "I've worked too hard for too long and I'm not about to let you risk everything we have."

Another common response is to belittle one's partner for even having such dreams. "Who do you think you are? You don't have the ability to do that and you're going to fail. Everyone's going to think this whole thing is ridiculous."

Instead Dear Reader, let me suggest an alternative.

Greet your partner's dreams with warmth and sincere interest. And listen carefully and respectfully to what this person you love has to say. Ask some constructive questions in a positive tone of voice, including why he or she so wants to do what is being proposed. Then you'll understand and can be helpful in how to proceed.

Life is a brief journey, one filled with opportunities to grow, particularly if one can find the courage to pursue one's dreams. And the likelihood of success is so much greater when two people support each other.

I would have had far more problems as an entrepreneur,  a real estate investor, a talk radio host and as a writer without my wife Anne's support. And I'm sure each of these things sounded pretty crazy to her when I first proposed them.

Sometimes they succeeded grandly and we reaped the rewards and sometimes they landed with a thud and we paid the price. But always I knew she believed in me and she knew I was honest with her about what was happening.

If you don't have that level of confidence in your partner or in his or her ideas, explore those ideas further before saying no.

In the exploration process you might be able to establish benchmarks in which your partner can pursue his or her dreams in stages, thus building upon little successes and learning from little failures.

Believe in your partner and be as supportive as you can be as you share your dreams with each other and do everything you can to help one another make those dreams a reality in whatever form makes you both comfortable.

Dick