In the weeks to come you will hear more about a concept that we at Step Into Your Power choose to emulate and communicate to others, that is "Holistic Success.”  Holistic Success means that in order to determine what success truly is for us individually we need to know and define our personal priorities and values.  At SIYP we don’t want you to have a full bank account and an empty home.  We don’t want you to have a contacts file full of business contacts but a life which is empty of true friendship.  We don’t want you achieve all you material goals but fail to address a single spiritual or philanthropic goal.  In short, we want you to take the opportunity to Have It All!

Defining who is in your family helps you know where your all encompassing priorities should lie.  The moment you are in a committed relationship with a partner you have formed a new family.  Everyone else who is not a descendent of one these two people is now defined as extended family.  Over the years I have assisted scores of couples who have never fully defined who family was and therefore they failed to provide the prioritized love and attention that our immediate family requires.

Now let me warn you that many extended families will balk passionately at the thought that they are no longer number one.  They will refuse to accept the lowering in rank and they may choose to "punish” you for setting a healthy boundary.  Do not lose heart.  These boundaries are healthy and normal and what anyone else is demanding simply is not healthy.

So take to heart the 5th of our 7 Tips to a Powerful Relationship:

5.  Keep your family the priority it was always meant to be.  First we need to define "family.”  When you entered into a committed relationship you started a new family.  That means that everyone else who may be related to you in any other way  is now extended family.  Take the time to clearly define this to each other and to the people you may be related to who may not see the picture as clearly as you do.

Your partner needs to know that you are more committed to them than anyone else.  Without this communication and consistently set boundaries it is easy to slip into old ruts and fail to prioritize what really means the most to you.

PK Smith is a Relationships and Leadership Development specialist...

...With 24 years of experience and a tremendous track record with both areas of interest.  When a couple commits to therapy PK has enjoyed a zero divorce rate. PK hosts the popular "Step into A Powerful Relationship for Couples Series" beginning on March. 11.  PK spends six weeks with a small group of couples to assist them in appreciating who they are as a couple and who they can become in the future as individuals as well as a family. Practical principles are not only learned together but they are applied together. Your family deserves this kind of investment. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE