There are 3 types of partners you can choose in life, teammates, cheerleaders, and competitors. Below, I'll breakdown the difference.
Cheerleaders: These are partners that genuinely want to see you do well, and will even cheer you on along the way, but they aren't involved in the process. They cheer from the sidelines rather. Regardless of whether they are involved in a hands-on Kind of way or not, it's nice to have this kind of partner in your corner. A cheerleader may not be involved in the race, but they'll be waiting with your water and anything else you'll need to accommodate you.
Teammates: These are partners that not only cheer you on, but are very much involved in the process as well. A teammate wants the best for the team, and isn't concerned with which one of you crosses the finish-line first because a win for one of you is a win for both of you. A teammate feels a sense of accomplishment when you accomplish victory.
Competitors: These are partner who, like the teammate, are very much involved in the growth process but are driven by outdoing you, and find it hard to take on the cheerleader role, mainly because part of them finds it hard to view themselves as part of a team in the first place. You find this frame of thinking among people who take a lot of pride in their Independence. Competing isn't necessarily a bad thing if both people involved share this same mindset. It's when a teammate or cheerleader end up with a competitor that there is this clash.
Here's an example of each type of partner used in the same scenario. Let's say your household needs an extra income for whatever reason.
1. The cheerleader will leave it up to you, and will even help you find a job, and will be ecstatic when you do but ultimately won't take part in any search of their own.
2. The teammate will fill out applications right along-side of you, and if you get the callback and they don't, they are still happy because the overall goal was still achieved.
3. The competitor, like the teammate, will fill out applications right along-side of you but will focus more on why they didn't get the call back, than be happy that one of you did.
Also, cheerleaders and teammates use words like "we & us". Competitors use words like "I & me".
Like most things concerning partnerships however, there isn't a right or wrong way, it's about preferences, rather. So what do you prefer?
Thanks for reading. Please share!
