POWER

COUPLE
101

A.) Relationship
Lessons from
Legendary Couples
Build your home together
Life isnt just about where youre going but where you can go
back to. As your home represents the backbone of your
relationship, moving in together is a relationships biggest
turning point.
Rather than be intimidated by the prospect of fighting over the
remote control and other cohabitation disasters, embrace the
opportunity to create an environment to which you cant wait to
return. Make the process a team effort that will result in equal
areas of individual space and an overall design of comfort and
unity. Legendary Hollywood couple Paul Newman and Joanne
Woodward exemplified this approach by choosing a 250-yearold farmhouse in Connecticut as their private sanctuary a
home that they shared for 48 years and that also served as the
backdrop of their life together.

Look good for each other

Looks matter yours and hers. The intellectual spark that
comes from being dialled into each others minds can keep the
fire burning for years to come, but a steady physical spark will
keep your bodies connected for nights on end if you put in
equal effort to keep the attraction alive.
To keep your looks high in your partners eyes, eat right, sleep
better and hit the gym regularly. You can go further by
enhancing your wardrobe and dressing up together for fun
nights that will make things even more exciting when you get
home. In the entertainment world, look no further than David
Beckham and his wife Victoria. They've been married for over
10 years, and its a rarity to see either one of them looking bad

when theyre in public together. Follow this relationship lesson

and reap the rewards

Play together to stay together

Opposites attract, but common interests can keep couples
together. A guy who successfully taps into his ladys interests
can add another layer of strength to the overall relationship.
While leisure activities and sports are a great way to bond,
playing together on a professional basis has special benefits
also.
If your career allows it, team up with her on projects that can
combine both of your unique skills. If you know what makes her
tick, youll know how to motivate her. If you dont, its a great
way to learn. Be her professional hero by setting realistic goals
and bringing out the best in her. Shell return the favour.
Grammy Award-winning power couple Jay-Z and Beyonce have
been collaborating professionally since 2002 and have been
romantically involved for just as long. By teaming up, they get
professional and personal satisfaction.

Maintain your independence

The life you had before your relationship started doesnt need
to stop when things get serious with a woman. If you give up
your friends or let your career lag, your overall identity might
evaporate. The irony in devoting your time and energy to her is
that you can become boring or clingy in the long run.
You can make your relationship a priority while also keeping
your friends and career close by setting time aside for personal
and professional activities. Tom Brady and Gisele
Bundchen are the perfect example, with each maintaining
clear independent identities. In his case, he gets to spend his
days fighting for the Super Bowl and his nights with a
supermodel wife and family. Give yourself the best of both

worlds and follow this simple piece of celebrity relationship

advice.

Compatibility beats age

Every man has his own idea of what age he desires in a
partner, but whether youre aiming older or younger, its her
compatibility with you that needs special consideration.
Depending on your stage of life and state of mind, an older
womans experience and wisdom might fulfil your needs, while
a younger womans carefree lifestyle and contagious
enthusiasm might be the fountain of youth that you are
seeking.
Dont ignore your attraction to a woman who might not fit your
perfect age requirements, otherwise you could both miss out.
With a 25-year age difference, Michael Douglas and Catherine
Zeta-Jones were a surprise celebrity relationship, but their
May-December marriage remains in full bloom because their
chemistry supersedes the numbers on their birth certificates.

Communicate
Maintaining an open channel of communication can give your
relationship a strong foundation. In difficult moments, your core
bond wont waver. Unfortunately, if youre closed off by nature,
you can run the risk of being labelled as emotionally
unavailable. By the time youre ready to be available, you
might find yourself single again.
Good communication doesnt mean polluting your relationship
with a slew of heavy conversations. If you work your
communication magic right, you can keep things light while
also letting your partner know that youre tuned into her
feelings. In todays digital age, Twitter wizards Ashton Kutcher
and Demi Moore are celebrities who practice great
communication with each other. Whether its face-to-face or
through social media, they are consistent communicators who
always know the score in their celebrity relationship.

B.) 6 Characteristics
of a Power Couple
Power couples are in sync with each other. All of the
power couples mentioned support each other. Whether it is
working on a film together or in Jay-Z & Beyonces case,
performing on each others albums, power couples provide
opportunities for their significant other to shine. Interestingly
enough, many powerful couples worked in the same or similar
industries and rather than competing, they combined their
efforts.
Power couples have fun together. From weekly date nights
to regular vacations, all power couples step away from their
busy work lives to nurture their relationships. They understand
the importance of nurturing each other in an intentional way.
Power couples mind their finances. It is not secret
that financial problems lead many couples to destruction.
Power couples have accumulated wealth and they are able to
invest in the experiences and assets that they care about.

Power couples have excellent communication. They are

able to verbalize their needs and to solve problems and
concerns quickly. While my husband and I have fun during our
weekly date night, we also use the time to check in and
clear the air. We decided to go on a weekend getaway
recently because we realized we were just too wrapped up in
work commitments and needed some alone time.
Power couples stand the test of time. I am reminded of the
lyrics to Alicia Keys song Unbreakable.
Power Couples do not earn that title until they first
become powerful individuals. While they experience an
intense love that radiates and resonates with the world, they
also have projects or careers that theyre committed to. In
other words, their life does not stop with their love. Their love is
the fuel that keeps them sharing their other talents and gifts
with the world.

Here are few power couple pointers that work for me and my husband. I
encourage you to add to the list and modify them to suit the unique
qualities within your relationship.

A power couple doesnt take power trips and waste time

arguing about who is in control.

A power couple capitalizes off of each persons strengths

instead of focusing on each others weaknesses.

A power couple can produce and build something together,

whether a business, a home, a community service project, etc.
That not only benefits them but helps others.

A power couple recognizes that they can do more, have more,

and give more when they are working together as opposed to
working individually.

A power couple is not intimidated by other power couples. In

fact, a real power couple learns from others and seeks
mentors to help them grow.

A power couple presents a united front as parents and refuses

to allow the children to divide and conquer them.

A power couple makes a plan, works the plan, and revises the
plan as needed so that the vision for the marriage is realized.

A power couple does the hard work necessary to work through

marital problems and to learn from difficult circumstances.

A power couple believes they have the perfect spouse even

though their spouse isnt perfect.

A power couple serves as an example for other couples to

learn how to be uniquely powerful in their marriages.

A power couple places God and family in the centre of their

lives and protects their faith and loved ones from negative
influences.

A power couple recognizes that real power doesnt reside in

money, in careers, or in reputation. Real power resides in love.

C.) POWER COUPLE 101

POWER COUPLE 101: THE ONLY GOAL IS
SUCCESS
Seek out the potential for success in your love and your career. Do not be
afraid of this question: What is your vision of success in life and can you
attain it with this person?
Career: In order to begin your path to success, you must be able to
recognize your same drive and enthusiasm about the future in your
significant other. While their vision of success may differ as far as their
career choice it needs to be on the same intellectual and enthusiastic

level to be worthy of support. If there is a lack of enthusiasm towards the

type of career/venture that is chosen the relationship will suffer due to the
lack of support.
Love: After the butterfly stage of a budding relationship you need to start
picturing how you want your love to be. Do you want a deeply involved
love, in which you know the makings of their soul? Do you want a surface
love that only deals with the problems you feel like touching? Do you want
a balance between the two? Do you want to be a successful couple?
Choose the type of love that will make your life balanced and comfortable
for your lifestyle.
Keep in mind that an un-evolved love or career movement is not healthy
and the relationship will not survive.

POWER COUPLE 101: THE GLADIATOR & THE

GODDESS
The Gladiator helps the Goddess to survive while the Goddess helps the
Gladiator to succeed.
The Gladiator and Goddess are roles of support that take different forms.
The Gladiator is the warrior that will ensure the survival of the Goddess
through actions such as: revenue seeking, marketing ideas, and financial
planning. The Goddess is the nurturer that will seek ways to develop the
ideas or actions of the Gladiator. The establishment of these two roles
creates a working partnership of support, which will give each individual
power within each others ventures. Why is this important? If no one else
is able to support the new or established venture(s) with full
comprehension of the vision, the spouse/partner needs to be able to.
Additionally it creates a need for both to invest in the future of the
venture(s) making one collective vision to succeed. A key to surviving in
these roles is to understand that the competition is not between the
couple, but between the couple and the world.

POWER COUPLE 101: MAKE LOVE

While making love is a given in a successful relationship there are times in
which it must go beyond the physical act.
Career: You need to make love to your ideas and the ideas of your
significant other by pushing them beyond comprehensible possibilities.
When new ideas are presented in business it is nerve-wracking and can
easily stray someone off course; therefore it is best to test them out on
someone you trust i.e. your significant other. If it is a good idea caress it
with questions that get to the substance of the idea and watch it grow.
Ignite the fire behind the venture by feeding supplemental ideas that
strengthen the product/brand. This will turn into multiple babies that the
two of you would have created together, nurtured, and loved through the
process. If it is a bad decision/idea do not be afraid to say that sucks, but
you must be able to present a revised, different, or better idea. This
avoids depleting confidence and shows that you are not against them.
Love: As the two of you operate in the same or different entities your love
life can virtually disappear. Make an effort to enhance your bond by being
adventurous in and out of the bedroom. Continue to date and explore
each others bodies, minds, and spirits through sporadic moments of
affection, planned dates, and sexual experimentation. It is critical to make
time to make love, so you do not have to fight to save it later.
POWER COUPLE 101: PEACE/PIECE OF YOUR MIND
When you care for someone all you want to do is tell them what to do to
be prosperous for your peace of mind. What you dont realize is that too
many pieces of your mind will destroy the confidence and control of your
significant others progress.
The best thing that you can do to keep the peace is knowing when to shut
up.
Their Mind: The whole reason why the entrepreneurial adventure began
is because they had one idea in their mind that has flourished. Thats
right, their mind, so it is not yours to control. It is imperative for
your peace of mind that mistakes are learned from and not all decisions
involve your piece of mind. Your voice is not the only one that is to be

heard, sometimes its 2-3000 voices to be heard and the leader does not
have time to think for themselves. Although the Gladiator and Goddess
roles are needed there are limitations that allow the individual to fight for
their own professional life. When it seems that their mind is cluttered do
not add to it with more advice, suggestions, and ideas, give them
breathing room to make the right decisions.
Your Mind: Remember those 2-3000 voices? Well they double when
replaying and siphoning through all of the complaints, suggestions, and
advice from your colleagues, consumers and lover. Eventually the
moment arrives when you lose it and want to scream just to silence them
all. The first step to your peace of mind is to recognize that despite the
other voices you are in control. Secondly know where to direct your
energy and frustrations, and try to ease them away from your persistently
helpful lover. Focus on solutions that you find to be the best fit for the
problem/need. Only then should you consider the thoughts of others
including your lovers. Finally create your own process of handling crisis,
there is no set formula so find one that suits you and adjust when
necessary.
POWER COUPLE 101: BALANCING ACT
The most difficult thing to do other than relinquishing or gaining control of
your own power is the balancing act between the two great loves of your
life.
Lets paint the scenario of an entrepreneur in love: You have 7:00 pm
dinner reservations and its 5:30 pm. You still have three major emails to
send that will take at least 20 minutes to do each, and you need to beat
the traffic home to change, then beat the after rush hour traffic to make
your reservation. The night out will surely leave you in decently sober
relaxed state and your mind will not be on work. If you opt not to send
the emails before the 12:00 pm PST cut off time to make the reservation,
you will lose three major contracts youve worked 6 months for. If you opt
to work late and cancel dinner you will likely lose some bed action or get
in an unresolvable fight with your loverdecisions decisions.
How do you resolve situations like this to keep your love intact?

From the beginning make it a mutual understanding that the work

is just as important as the relationship.
Five ways to balance it out

If it looks like a busy day whether at the office or home, schedule

working lunches or dinners in which you can take on your
Gladiator/Goddess roles and enjoy each others company.

Make time for radio silence; a period in which you are unplugged
and all of your attention is on life and love. This will clear your mind
and your body of stressful energy and strengthen your bond.

We all want to be superheroes, were not. Do not expect perfection,

expect connections with someone that complements your lifestyle
and love requirements.

Steal moments where you can show love to one another, whether it
is a kiss, quickie, or a simple email to say I love you.

Talk about your days. This comes back to knowing when to shut up,
listen, and be a Gladiator/Goddess to drive each other towards
success.

Can two moguls co-exist as a power couple? It turns out that couples
have simply evolved from a hunter/gatherer mentality to a mogul
mentality. The only doom lies within a lack of understanding and
communication as each individual rises to the top. Love is no longer a
distraction when it comes to building an empire, it is the essence of a
growth of a dream.

D.) 8 Things Power

Couples Do
Differently
Power couples can seem like intimidating forces, managing to
have their own wildly successful careers as well as
relationships. Though Beyonce and Jay Z are probably just
superhuman, the secrets of how most power couples make it
work aren't reserved for the mega-rich and famous.
Here are eight things power couples do right:
1. Brainstorm together. In a January 2008 Fortune
magazine feature, Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates explained how
much he depends on his wife Melinda's opinion. "Melinda and I
would brainstorm about [the company]," He said. "You always
benefit from your key confidante telling you, 'You think so-andso stepped on your toes? Well, maybe he didn't mean to.
Maybe you're wrong.'"

2. Work to improve themselves, individually and as a

pair. In a March 2013 interview, Will Smith explained how he
makes things work with his wife of 17 years, actress Jada
Pinkett-Smith:
When we got started, we both truly connected on wanting to be
better. Thats where it all started. There were other people that
we were dating and other people that we were attracted to but
there was a commitment to constantly be better that was what
we connected on. Our whole world and relationship was that,
Hey, I know that I may not be all of that today but what Im not
going to do is lay around and not keep working to be better to
deserve you.
3. Support each others' pursuits and ambitions fully,
even if that means taking turns. Sheryl Sandberg famously
wrote in Lean In:
When it comes time to settle down, find someone who wants an
equal partner. Someone who thinks women should be smart,
opinionated and ambitious. Someone who values fairness and
expects or, even better, wants to do his share in the home.
These men exist and, trust me, over time, nothing is sexier.
The Clintons have certainly supported each other's political
careers. While Bill Clinton was running for and serving as
president, Hillary supported him -- and it was his turn to
champion her during her 2008 campaign. He may well be back
in that supporting role during the 2016 elections... here's
hoping.

4. Exercise together. Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer and her

husband Zachary Bogue, an investor and former lawyer, make
time to work out together. According to a profile of Mayer in the
September 2013 issue of Vogue, the pair run half-marathons
together and enjoying hiking and skiing.
5. Get divorced when it stops working. Sometimes a
marriage just doesn't work out, and it's always best to know
when it's time to let go. Power couples who have decided their
relationship wasn't working any more include the insanely

talented Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, who split up in

September 2012 after nine years of marriage. "I'm 43, and I've
found my happiness -- which is my kids," Arnett said in an
interview with Details magazine. As Nora Ephron once wrote,
"Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from."

6. Avoid the limelight. Bill and Melinda Gates famously

refused to talk to the press about their relationship, and a
1995 Seattle Times article reveals the extent to which the
Gateses protected their privacy: "While I understand that your
readers may find my story interesting because of the man I
married, it is a personal decision for me not to share
information about our relationship or my personal life with the
world at large," Gates allegedly wrote to a reporter who wanted
an interview shortly after she married Bill. Melinda didn't give
her first public interview until 2008, when she finally broke her
silence to discuss the Gates Foundation.
7. Follow their own interests -- even when they work in the
same field. FLOTUS and POTUS are great examples of this as
lawyers-turned-politicians. Though she has a number of official
duties, Michelle Obama has often focused on her own passion
projects, from Lets Move! to LGBT rights.

8. Compromise on scheduling. Stella & Dot founder Jessica

Herrin has been married to her husband Chad, the VP of a Bay
Area software company, for 14 years. She told the Huffington
Post that the pair make sure their work and travel schedules
complement each other:
[My husband and I] have [also] evolved our careers over time
to work together as a family. His used to involve a lot more
travel, and he switched his role so that we weren't going in two
different directions at the same time.