I was even afraid of letting my boss/co-workers down. Now that is pathetic. But I now know this comes from my childhood and not wanting to disappoint my parents.
Well - the first step is recognizing these patterns in ourselves. And the next step if figuring out how it gets us into trouble in our relationships.
How do you think this tendency affected your relationship?
I know a pattern in my childhood (a father who was loving but absent a lot)has caused me as an adult to be more tolerant than I really should be of absences or lack of communication on the part of my partner. I still apply that childhood sense of "oh, that's fine that he's gone, he'll be back like dad" even when the behaviors of my partners are not really that appropriate. Something I need to work on is demanding to have more of MY needs met in a relationship.
