Curiosity, Interest and Acceptance

This is post 4 of 4 in the series “Commitment in Relationships”

Synopsis: Curiosity, Interest and Acceptance — the three things that keep a relationship fro going off the rails. And notice: no mention of controlling the other person!

Several issues ago I and proposed the following:

• I can only commit to an action — to something I will do.

• I commit to being in relationship with you. Here is what I commit to:

• I will be open, honest and vulnerable in my daily communication with you.

• I will tell you, today, who I am and what I am thinking.

• I will tell you, today, everything I have done, and what it meant to me.

• I will listen to you with curiosity and interest, today.

• I will accept that you are who you are today, and will integrate who you are today with my picture of you from “yesterday.”

• I will make myself fully available and present to and with you, today, and engage in clear and concise communication with you for not less than 30 minutes, today.

• I will own all of my thoughts, feelings, emotions and interpretations, working to take full responsibility for each and every one of them. If I slip and go into blaming, I will stop myself, apologise, and return to self-responsibility.

• I will actively encourage you to listen to me and to actively hold me to the performance of what I have committed to.

• I will commit to all of these things, without any expectation of anything from you, as all I can ever commit to is to what I can and will do.

Today, we’ll look at:

• I will listen to you with curiosity and interest, today.

• I will accept that you are who you are today, and will integrate who you are today with my picture of you from “yesterday.”

Curiosity, Interest and Acceptance — Sounds like an accounting firm, eh?