Meet in the Middle

One of the biggest downfalls to relationships is that there is no balance. This balance cannot be achieved with a selfish attitude. It is perfectly fine if his/her friends are not your favorite people, respect your partner and understand that there are going to be differences. Take an interest in your partner’s life and the things that make them happy. When it comes to making a relationship work, there are things that we must do to satisfy the ones we are with. If you have to go to a movie or see a play to earn a hassle-free trip to the deer woods or a day on the lake, then by all means do so. Give it a shot, you might even like it. If nothing else you will be more cultured and understanding of your partner’s interests. This education of your partner’s interest will only help with communication in the relationship and could make gifts for special occasions lot easier on yourself. Not only will finding a way to share experience’s with your partner help build a bond for a strong relationship, it also will be returned in your favor. Take your partner with you to the lake or woods and let them experience your interests as well. In this they will see your inspiration and excitement for doing the things you love to do and will have a better understanding of what goes on in your world. These activities are merely an example, this works for any form or fashion of interests and activities. Sharing these experiences may be painful for some of you and could require a small amount of pride swallowing. Of course this small amount of suffering could lead to a very successful relationship or a new found interest for the two of you to share.

Being “selfish” in a relationship brings a lot more pain and suffering than having to see a movie that wasn’t on your list or having dinner with your partner’s  best friend that you are not crazy about. And not only is this less painful, but it is detrimental to the success of a relationship especially if you are serious enough to be considering future plans with this partner. Things like, moving in together, getting married, having a child, or even getting a pet with one another. All of these things are going to require a common denominator and that means:Balance. There is more to this balance than you have already read. There is a small benefit package that is usually included when you allow yourself to find common ground and understand when to work together and when to work apart. I am using the term “work” because there are very few relationships that are successful without it. Nobody is going to tell you that having a true relationship that is valued by both parties and has the potential to grow exponentially will be easy! The great thing about working towards a relationship like this explained by this benefits package I referenced to earlier. The list can be endless but let me share a few with you. Respect for each other is a huge bonus, this not only makes your relationship strong but comes in real handy when there is some form of crisis in the relationship. A “crisis” can take many different forms in a relationship and “no I am not talking about a broken nail or forgetting your luck pair of underwear”. I am talking about a death in the family, a miscarriage, one partner losing a job, or vulnerability due to an accident or illness. These kinds of things have a tendency to tear people apart as they begin to blame one another for the problem. When there is respect in a relationship, these times of crisis are spent comforting one another and working together to get each other through.