Are Your Relationships Fostering Growth?

Unlocking the Potential: The Characteristics of Growth-Fostering Relationships

Growth-fostering relationships promote resilience, courage, and psychological growth. In growth-fostering relationships, everyone involved contributes and benefits. Are your relationships growth-fostering?

Energizing Connections: The Vital Signs of Growth-Fostering Relationships

Growth-fostering relationships are characterized by:

• An increase in energy.

• Creativity and productivity.

• A greater sense of worth.

• A desire for more connection.

• Increased knowledge and clarity about one’s own experience, the other person, and the relationship.

So, are your relationships growth-fostering? Imagine a person you are close to and ask yourself these questions:

• Do you look forward to seeing this person? Does spending time with them excite you?

• Does this person bring out your imagination? Does your time with them feel valuable?

• Do you feel better about yourself after talking to this person? Does this person lift you up?

• Do you want to get to know this person better? Do you want them to know you better?

• Do your thoughts seem clearer after spending time with this person? Do you appreciate the way your relationship with this person changes you?

If you answered yes to several or all of these questions, congratulations! This relationship might just be growth-fostering!

What if you answered no to these questions? How can you develop growth-fostering relationships?

Growth-fostering relationships are developed through authenticity, mutual empathy, and mutual empowerment.

• Authenticity promotes healing and growth. Be yourself! Act in accordance with your values, trust your gut, voice your needs and wants without shame, and express your emotions. Authenticity in relationship must be informed by anticipating the possible impact on the other person.

• Through mutual empathy, aspects of oneself that are seen as threatening become accepted. Mutual empathy leads to growth, both as individuals and within the relationship. In a safe and growth-fostering relationship, both people accept the other as they are.

• Mutual empowerment involves empowering others who in turn empower others (and you!). Through mutual empowerment, shame, control, and isolation lose their grip on relationships. In growth-fostering relationships, both people empower the other to be their best selves.

Empowerment in Unity: The Power of Mutual Empowerment

Growth-fostering relationships are not free of disconnection! Occasional disconnections and misunderstandings are normal and even inevitable. However, if these disconnections are addressed and worked through with authenticity, mutual empathy, and mutual empowerment, they can become places of enormous growth.

Share this with someone with whom you have a growth-fostering relationship!