Building a Great Romance: Tips and Hints for a Better Love Life

It takes some serious thinking and even planning to make a good relationship great. Before committing to any serious relationship, whether it be a friendship or romantic relationship, think about what you want out of the relationship and what you can contribute. Think of a relationship as a trade. If you don’t give, you’ll most likely not receive. That said, here are some tips to help you grow in your relationship and make it survive as well:

1. Communication is key! Always make what you want clear to solve any guesswork on your partner’s part. Encourage your partner to do the same. This will help solve a lot of problems (whether it be financially, emotionally, sexually, etc.) and make for a more open and responsive relationship. You will begin to understand and know your partner and be able to respond in a way that suits both of your needs/desires. Take an active interest in your partner’s life. Talk about everything and anything together. Treat each other as best friends, and best friends you will become.

2. Be honest from the start. If one partner lies about anything in the beginning, they will have to weave a web of lies throughout their whole entire relationship to cover that one lie. And if the lying half is caught, it will be much harder to believe anything that person says later. This is common sense. No one wants to be lied to, especially when it comes to someone they care about. If you can’t be honest about or to yourself, you shouldn’t involve anyone else until you can be comfortable with who you are. Of course, everyone makes mistakesâÂ?¦

3. Forgive and most definitely forget! These two items go hand in hand. If you forgive someone, you can’t bring it up again to use against them in the future! Forgiveness defined is the act of pardoning a person for some wrong they have committed. It’s not to say that you will literally forget what has happened, but you chose not to bring it up or dwell on it. Of course, a wrong committed against you may hurt or make you angry. Think of the forgiving part as where you allow yourself to heal and the forgetting part as you have healed and are moving on. Forgetting can take time. Sometimes, depending on the degree of the wrongdoing committed, forgetting may require therapy and may even change the way you live life in the long run.

4. Remember the golden rule. Treat your partner as you would want to be treated. This goes for anything that you do without your partner as well. Would you want your partner doing this thing that you are doing? How would you feel if they did? Always ask yourself this question and most likely you’ll always chose the right thing to do when in doubt.

5. Respect each other. You will not always agree on everything. That is what makes people unique and interesting – varying opinions and beliefs! If you cannot talk and disagree on certain subjects (remember, disagreeing is different than arguing), maybe you should avoid those subjects altogether. If this isn’t possible, maybe you should rethink the relationship and if it is worth it. Without respect, a relationship is doomed.

It’s all about compromise. Compromising ties into everything mentioned above in one way or another. All relationships have a bump in them somewhere. Working through them is rewarding and strengthens the bond shared between two people. It will not always be easy. But being prepared will always be helpful in keeping your relationship healthy.