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Why Working With Your Friends May Not Serve Your Goals

November 17, 2022 Tips Insights Career Lifestyle
Why Working With Your Friends May Not Serve Your Goals

My students have often asked me, “should I partner with my friend for a project?”

They may be thinking about planning a startup company or another long term project but they are unsure if partnering with a good friend is the right choice. 

I tell my students to ask themselves this question:
Are you choosing the partnership with your friend purely for the comfort level? Or are you choosing it because you know that partnership could lead to a positive outcome?”

These are important points to think about when entering into any partnership. 

If you look at your long-term friend, who you’ve had since your school days, think about why you spend that much time with them. 

What I have always noticed outside of my astrology career is that anytime two people are good friends, they are usually the same type of person. As the saying goes, birds of a feather tend to flock together.

This is also very true astrologically.

Over the years, I have witnessed a pattern between groups of friends who take my classes. When these students do their charts in class, we found that they have the same or similar psychological profiles

People also often become friends with people who match their elemental profiles. For example, people who have strong Earth profiles tend to befriend others who have a strong Earth profile

Likewise, people who have strong Fire profiles spend their time with others who have a strong Fire profile.

However, what benefits do you stand to gain by continually associating with the same type of person?

These are people you keep in contact with over the long term, the people you spend time with regularly and the people you call when you experience hard times…

1) These people give you comfort.

They provide you with emotional comfort.

More than anything, that’s why you want to be around them. You don’t really have to work hard in any way within the partnership in terms of accommodating somebody’s ideas or tastes that are different from yours.

The converse is true for people who are different from you, either astrologically or in the way they do things.

It feels less comfortable, or even difficult, to spend time with someone who is different. You may not want to change yourself to accommodate a different style of thinking or way of doing things.

2) There is a sense of familiarity, as you’re used to the way of doing things.

If someone comes from a different industry or background, they may think differently than you. If you are a creative person who dwells in abstract thinking, it may not be easy for you to share time with someone who thinks mainly in terms of numbers.

However, I often advocate for people who are different to come together for projects.

It comes down to asking yourself what you really want.

“Do you want a partner towards a positive outcome or are you seeking the comfort of working with a friend?”

If you are focused on the project’s positive outcome, rather than comfort, It will not be very necessary for you to work with a friend. It ultimately boils down to who is able to get the job done.

In the case of business, a creative person would benefit from collaborating with a more technical thinker.

If you want the project to succeed financially, the last thing you want to do is to collaborate only with others who are similarly artistic and creative – as they will similarly prioritize creative expressions and outcomes ahead of any financial objectives.

If everyone on the team has the same style of doing things, or has the same aptitudes in their Astrological profile, important areas of the project may be neglected.

“Who is going to do the accounts?”
“Who is going to read the contracts (or tend to any of the many details that creatives feel are too boring for their own attention)?“

Answering these questions also means being honest with yourself and acknowledging any areas where you have weaknesses. 

You have to realize that you’re not going to be good at everything. There are some things that simply don’t come naturally to you.

For those areas, you can simply ask,
who can help me fill the gap in those areas where I don’t have as much strength?”

It is often wiser to look for these people outside of your friends and beyond those people who are comfortably similar to you. 

Partnerships between opposites often make some of the best work or business partnerships.

Collaborations between completely different people can actually help you make the most out of the project.

Pairing with someone unlike yourself, you can gain a positive outcome that you cannot produce by yourself. You gain additional skills and abilities beyond what you are capable of doing by yourself..

Of course, to be successful together, your goals in the partnership also need to align. 

If there isn’t goal alignment, you won’t reach a positive outcome, whether or not someone is similar to you or different from you,

Openly discussing goals with any partner is always important. 

The astrological charts provides a wealth of insights with regards to how two individuals are aligned and also how in some areas they are able to bring a different prespective to the table.

Apart from the elemental profiles and the psychological profiles, many other considerations play into how individuals might work as a team. 

These include:; the Dominant Archetype, Modal profiles, value systems, preferred working styles and preferred means of communication. All of these things can be considered as part of a successful partnership.

If you haven’t spent time looking at your own Astrological chart or learning your Psychological Astrology profile, diving into either of these may help you understand your areas of both strength and weakness. 

You may also find that having this knowledge can provide you with an added tool to help you learn to work better within a partnership and to reach your work and business goals.

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