Performance = Relationship X Results

I have been pondering relationships. Humans need relationships—they were not designed to be alone. We all set great store by the associations that we have with people, from family and friends to coworkers to casual acquaintances. And each of these relationships means something different to us. What tends to be common to all is that the performance of the relationship is connected directly to the type of relationship it is, to the strength of the ties that bind us, and the resulting outcome of the equation we share. In other words, performance is a function of relationship and results.

The pressures that we experience in many relationships are frequently caused by confusion around communication, by false impressions, and high or unsuitable expectations. In any kind of relationship, whether personal or otherwise, we often catch ourselves trying to gauge (or justify to others) the strength of the relationship. How do you define whether a relationship is strong or good or mediocre or poor or one sided? You need some sort of a benchmark for yourself by which you can assess this. For example, if you have a relationship that you consider the great love of your life, if for some reason it breaks up, you will tend to hold that up as the yardstick by which you measure all such relationships in the future.