CHAPTER 4 The 80/20 Rule
In 1906, an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, found an intriguing correlation. He noticed 20% of the pea pods in his garden held 80% of the peas. Studying the peas prompted him to take a closer look at this ratio. In one of his initial discoveries, he found 80% of the land in his area was owned by 20% of the people. After a detailed study, he observed this ratio held true in many aspects of life. The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, is the result of his findings. There are some studies that claim that the 80/20 rule in relationships means you only get 80% of what you want, and the 20% are things you crave that may ruin the relationship. Unfortunately, this is not how the Pareto Principle works, but coming up with their own interpretation is not really a crime. There are other studies that agree with this interpretation. They claim that most people are happy getting 80% of what they want from their partner. They understand that nobody is perfect and being satisfied with 80% is enough. Similarly, it has also been suggested that the 80/20 relationship rule helps couples to aim for at least 80% of what they want from their partner, and the remaining 20% they should be willing to compromise on. The important thing about the 80/20 rule is not the figure itself (it’s not always exactly 80 or 20), but the cause and effect. 80% of all frustrations in a relationship are caused by just 20% of the problems. This interpretation fits perfectly with the definition of 21
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