However, as time passes those feelings can fade and the requirement changes from lust and passion to continual adjustment and re-alignment, a bit like maintaining a car. With this in mind, I have come up with 10 things a relationship needs from you. You’ll discover whether your relationship needs a tiny bit of re-tuning or a full on service.
1. Have continuous, kind, and open communication
These are essential in all relationships but most importantly with your partner—how else can you grow as a couple and appreciate one another’s feelings and opinions? They may not always been in alignment with yours but if you don’t communicate how else can you be understood?
2. Be willing to put in 100% effort when dealing with challenging times and disputes.
Walking away when things get tough won’t solve anything; the problems and issues will rear their ugly heads time and time again. You have got to be willing to deal with any difficulty that comes up and commit to resolving them together.
3. Have fun, laugh a lot, and make your partner smile on a daily basis
I’m not asking you to be a 24/7 stand-up comic for your significant other but being able to make light of difficult situations and help to distract them from the daily grind of life can be a powerful thing, as it can make your partner feel relaxed and at ease.
4. Share life’s lessons and growing pains
Your partner is supposed to be your best friend, whereas with your pals you can share life’s experiences and ever growing lessons, so why not play be the same rules with your loved one? You’ll be pleasantly surprised by their response and they’ll do the same in return.
5. Respect, provide emotional support and compliment, often!
This is a given isn’t it? The reason why we get into a relationship is to know that you have someone right beside you at all times. In this rollercoaster of an adventure we call life, you have to be there for your partner; to lift them in down times, be happy in good times and to tell them you love, respect, and care about them.
6. Provide intimacy, romance and passion
Without these, your relationship is merely a friendship. All of these actions are the foundation of a loving and caring relationship. You need to want to be together as a couple and to show this you need to provide intimacy, romance and passion consistently and don’t wait for them to make the first move.
7. Share your dreams and ambitions so you are both on the same page
This is so important, because it’s our dreams that keep us moving forward in life. As you’ve got your own willing cheerleader with you, please remember to share your dreams with them regularly. You’ll both have something to work towards together as a couple.
8. Be a constant source of acceptance, compassion and above all forgiveness
There is so much truth in the saying “You get what you give”, and these three things are the most important things to have the ability to do as a partner. Throughout your relationship you’ll have challenges, upsets and even losses that seem incredibly painful. You have got to be strong for your partner and riding out these tough times will be a significant factor in whether the relationship lasts or not.
9. Give your partner space to be who they are
This can be tough, especially if you are a little insecure or if you have had previous bad relationships and experienced infidelity, however, when you love someone you have got to set them free. Try to remember when you first met your partner: what was it that you loved about them, that first attraction? I suspect it was their natural confidence and how easy it was to be around them, so why take that away? Give them space to be who they are and you’ll be repaid with loyalty, respect and a load of love!
10. Admit your mistakes and be willing to change
We are all human after all, but it is far better to admit your mistakes than to go on pretending that everything is fine or being too stubborn to say sorry. If there is one thing you must do is to learn to understand what happened, adjust and move on from it. These could be the screw ups you have made or your partners. So this is the time where I ask if you are doing what you need to do in your relationship. Is it in need of a slight re-tune or a full service?
