This week we are talking about the proper care and feeding of your laid-back partner. In relationships, opposites so very often attract. If we put people on a continuum of assertiveness, on the high end of that continuum, we have the Type A personalities that I talked about last week. On the low end of that continuum, we have very laid back individuals that we often refer to as “Peace-Loving” individuals. It’s not at all uncommon to be in a relationship with someone who is on the other end of the spectrum as you are.
Characteristic #1
If you are partnered with a peace-loving individual, we want you to be able to appreciate and recognize what they bring to the relationship instead of making them wrong for possessing the qualities that they do. One of the gifts that peace-loving or laid-back individuals really bring, is that they can have an incredible ability to be pretty content with the status quo. Generally speaking, the ability to be content with what you have is a definite strength.
Characteristic #2
Peace-loving individuals can also show up in a way that neutralizes the stress in a family, by the very nature of seeking out peace and harmony and offering to do things that create more peace in the household. That’s another gift of theirs.
Characteristic #3
If you are not a peace-loving individual, but you think your partner is, here is one thing you should keep in mind about them. When they are with someone who is highly assertive, driven, motivated, and always wants to change things, they can get to a place where they may feel railroaded or controlled by their partner’s excessive energy. If that might be you, proper care and feeding of them would be to slow down a little bit, back off, and not pursue things with your aggressive timeline. That might not work with your laid-back partner.
Characteristic #4
If you are the laid-back individual, one of the things that you probably need to be aware of and call yourself out on from time to time is, your willingness and ability to shift out of your comfort zone and speak up if something isn’t working for you. Especially if it’s an important issue with your spouse, your boss, or a key relationship in your life. Speaking up and rocking the boat might not be your favorite, but there will be times that doing that is in your best interest and you might just have to push yourself forward to do.
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