Anyone who has ever attempted to reach a decision with their partner, no matter how small or significant, is aware of how challenging and cumbersome it is. But why is it so challenging and should it be so?
When you’re in a committed relationship or a marriage, decisions need to be agreed upon by both people, and it is important to realise that almost every choice you make may affect your spouse and vice versa. As different decision circles intersect once two people get together, the amount of decisions each person needs to make alone drastically decreases once they start a partnership.
Now, this isn’t necessarily because each of these choices has to be made jointly but rather, it is because every choice you make on your own in a relationship affects the other person in some way or the other. Hence, each partner needs to at the very least give their spouse some thought while making decisions in order to keep their relationship strong.
Often times, we see one of the partner in a marriage dominating the decision making process while the other gets downplayed. At times like these, the other spouse may feel like a pushover or may feel extremely dejected on denying the right to express their thoughts or opinions. What could be possibly done in such a scenario? The following steps might help!
1. Communication: Both the partners need to recognise each other’s viewpoints. Allow each other to describe what you both might think about different things. It is necessary to assure each other that each of your opinions are important and have a big impact on the outcome and choice.
2. Respect: Both the partners must sincerely and openly appreciate each other’s decision-making process and give each other the opportunity to succeed or fail on their own.
3. Trustworthiness: Both the partners need to continually demonstrate to one another that each of them is capable of making wise selections on their own when making decisions.
Making decisions together can make or ruin a relationship because it’s a fantastic litmus test for how well you get along. We will all inevitably encounter difficult moments with our partners; in those situations, it is helpful if we keep in mind this straightforward maxim: “I respect your decisions, I am trustworthy with my decisions, and I communicate through our decisions.” As ultimately, when communication, respect, and trust are the cornerstones of a relationship, it is indeed destined to succeed.