A Vision for Partnership
Couples have an extraordinary opportunity to share their dreams of a happy life together when they create a vision for the quality of their lives and their relationship. A vision conveys what a couple wants to express as the fulfillment of their partnership. It is not just the achievement of life goals or objectives. A vision for one’s relationship represents what a couple stands for together in the world. A vision could be thought of as a co-created stand for one’s quality of living that touches others around them. This quality of living is an expression of the couple’s values and what they deem as important in their life together.
Vision is often associated with organizational change as it is well recognized that a powerful vision is crucial to inspiring and motivating people as well as providing a direction and a mindset for success (Miser, 2006). Similarly, couples expressing partnership in their lives co-envision the desired quality of life together and, then, standing in that vision, take action to bring what they imagine together into reality. It is important for married couples on their long journey over the course of a life span to co-create a vision for their partnership on a renewable and periodic basis.
Martha Miser (2006), in her article “Vision: The Engine of Change,” articulates the six “Golden Rules” of vision that hold as true for a committed couple or a “partnership of two,” as they do for employees of a multinational corporation. These “Golden Rules” are:
- A vision is purposely and consciously co-created by the couple
- A vision is a flexible and dynamic process
- A vision is always about greatness
- A vision is both future focused and grounded in reality
- A vision does not tell the couple how to get there
- A successful vision is shared by the couple
Zander and Zander (2000) distinguish “vision” in their book on personal and professional transformation, The Art of Possibility, as articulating possibility, fulfilling a fundamental desire of humankind, making no reference to morality or ethics, and being a freestanding and timeless picture. A vision is a committed couple’s stand for the kind of world they a committed to co-creating as an expression of their partnership. It might be expressed as a set of descriptive phrases that capture the essence of life itself. Several years ago, Martha and I created a vision for our partnership. We entitled our vision, “Our World.”
- Visionary, inspired leadership
- Big sky, nature calling forth the human spirit
- Powerful, natural beauty
- Wonderment and mystery
- Appreciating history
- Respect and tolerance
- Healing, wholeness, and forgiveness
- Joy, music and dancing
- Grace
- Self-expression, magnificence and adventure
- No one left out
Creating a vision is a powerful way to have one’s partnership expressed in the world. Standing in their vision, a couple is able to powerfully create their future together.
References
Miser, M. (2006) Vision: The engine of change. Unpublished paper.
Zander, B., & Zander, R. S. (2000) The art of possibility: Transforming professional and personal life. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, Massachusetts.
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