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There's some insight in the old adage, "Birds of a feather flock together." Quite generally it's true and predictive that people who share the same values, interests, and styles will live, work, and be around one another in comparative harmony. But that's not to dismiss the value found in mixing peoples' styles, interests, and values for the way the differences can create alternative outcomes to upgrade a perspective, grow motivation, and enhance effectiveness.
Team building experience and related research clearly offers some healthy lessons around the value and merit of a good people-mix. For example, teams' dedication to a shared goal and a commitment to collaboratively achieve that goal can realize some very gratifying results--e.g., a Super Bowl win, a marketing coup, a political victory, etc.
The goals of a team are generally well and tightly defined and achievable. But it remains somewhat obvious that outside the dimensions distinguishing a team's goal its various members still live separate lives. They often have very different life interests and ambitions.
Team members value and genuinely need this kind of autonomy for its capacity to respect who they are individually beyond the interpersonal dynamics and skills that serve the team's goals. That's to say the dynamics and skills that generally serve their team commitment are not sufficient in themselves to identify or define the individual members outside of the team context. They remain different "birds" albeit they worked well together serving a specific time-limited goal.
When we watch the social interactions of men and women it often appears true that "opposites attract." However, as true as this can be on the surface it does not promise a wise or durable relationship. All too often men and women highly attracted to one another choose to pursue or expand a relationship based solely on their shared attraction. Again, and frequently just as often, those decisions prove disappointing and painful.
As was discussed above, there's little doubt that opposites can work both well and constructively together to achieve shared goals. However, when it comes to long-term male-female relationships involving the dynamics of an emotional intimacy, things can become arguably more complicated.
So, Smarter Romance similarly incorporates a team commitment and a project focus to serve interpersonal and character development goals in dating. But we've "tweaked" the team concept for the sake of helping couples evaluate what may become important longer-term considerations. In the SR context couples cooperatively dedicate themselves to their own customized and shared sets of goals. Their SR Team goals actually focus outside of the teammates' immediate relationship.
Collaboratively dedicated to their own projects, dating partners can quickly and better discover who they are as men and women. Then, they can similarly determine if there's any real potential for a constructive and enduring friendship---or if there's any potential for a future satisfying and lasting love with that developing friendship.
A Smarter Romance helps you from your very first date! SR helps you create a wise and effective environment for constructively managing a date and, maybe, a developing relationship. Then if your team relationship "works" for you, you'll be able to assess, as a team, the wider ranging and complex compatibility questions that can naturally develop.
Until next time...have fun, be safe, and be smart!
Dick
(Comment below or email me at smarterromance@gmail.com)
