The scariest words you can hear from your spouse are we are heading for a divorce. This comment was made regarding a couple who were working together in investing in real estate. There are four solid tips you can follow to alleviate some of the stress involved in investing with your spouse.
The first tip is regarding honor and respect. This involves your money blueprint. In marriages one person is the spender and the other is the saver. You must respect each other’s beliefs and speak to one another in a common language regarding money. This will help alleviate a lot of frustration and judgmental behavior.
The second tip is about being understood and showing understanding to your spouse. Although this is common sense it is unfortunately not commonly practiced. Turning this into a commonly practiced habit is hard work. True understanding comes by listening to your spouse and trying to envision yourself in their shoes. Even in couples who have been married for a long time it is not always possible to know what your spouse wants or needs in any given situation.
All individuals have the need to be listened to and understood. When you make the effort to listen to your spouse your communication becomes calm, peaceful and clear. When you want to be understood first it can lead frustration, disconnection and severe problems.
The third tip is to leverage the differences between you and your spouse instead of simply tolerating them. This is how you will build and develop an exceptional team and establish a real link. A quality team is creating and sustaining habits that allow both individuals to leverage each other’s differences. In most partnerships both individuals become annoyed when their partner’s skills are different from theirs. These differences must be appreciated and leveraged to sustain a successful team.
Leveraging is just optimizing and using your partner’s differences. Often, one partner has a greater sense of urgency and is more intense. When the other partner has a style that is easy going and casual this can cause serious problems and disconnects between the two-people involved. When the partners begin to appreciate and use each other’s differences it helps them to achieve their goals as a team.
The fourth and final tips involves doing your own thing. You and your spouse should have the same visions and goals regarding your investments. You also need to have the ability to do your own thing. This means having distinctive and separate responsibilities and roles in your business. These should be in alignment with your strengths and passions.
When a couple learns from the mistakes they have made in the past they become stronger. Both partners can have special and separate projects. No marriage is 100 percent sunshine but it is possible to get through the rough patches. Real estate investing requires hustle, guts and perseverance. The journey is easier when you are going through it with your spouse and you are making the effort to support each other.
Whether you have already begun a working relationship with your spouse or are considering doing so it is imperative to understand first and be understood second. You must stay on the course you have agreed on and refuse to give up on your relationship and your business dealings. The journey has a lot of turns and twists but the secret is to enjoy them.
