Ten Sure Tips for a Lasting Relationship

Relationship is a primordial and inherent need for any human being. Anthropologists suggest that man is a social being in nature and requires a company of other human beings for protection, support, and most of all to satisfy the need for a relationship.

Everyone dreams of a perfect mate, a harmonious relationship, and most of all a relationship that will last a lifetime. However, in the society today, there is a trend of increasing number of relationships failing for many reasons. It seems that relationships nowadays cannot stand the test of time.

The fact is, relationships are hard to manage and requires a higher level of commitment for both sides in order for it to last. It is very important to accept that along with relationships fighting occurs, and that things do not line up as you wanted. In fact, it is very easy to enter  a relationship than maintaining it.

Although it seems a lasting relationship is hard to come by, there are sure steps you can do to improve the odds, maintain a properly working relationship, and make it last. Here are the ten sure tips for a lasting relationship.

1) Always be realistic. In relationships, you cannot have everything, it is important to understand this first. Learn to accept everything about your partner, his strength and his weakness; his likes and dislikes; his beliefs and principles. Do not try to change your partner or yourself just to please or meet your partner’s whimsical expectations and demands. Accept that some things never change, face it.

2) Communicate. In relationships, communication is very important. Be informed about anything that is happening in your partner or in your relationship. Share information about yourself, what is new about you, what you did today or what are your plans for the future? Ask questions whenever you don’t understand or missed some points. Listen to your partner. Hidden resentments always poison the relationship; disclosed any problem bothering you. Do not keep secrets as much as possible.

3) Be flexible. Relationship should not become stagnant, it will lead to boredom. Always be open to new developments, do not dwell on what you are accustomed to. Relationship undergoes changes and growth is a must. It sure is troublesome catching up and hard work being accustomed to changes.

4) Love yourself. This is the foundation of a healthy relationship, and healthy relationship is mutual. Think and give time for yourself. Do not try to please your partner’s whim in expense of yourself and your own happiness. Martyrdom is good only if you want to be a saint; if you want a healthy and lasting relationship then love yourself.

5) Be responsible. Do your share in the relationship. Always see to it that you do what you are expected to do in helping to build and preserve the relationship. Relationship is a joint effort and cannot be done by either one of the parties alone.

6) Negotiate. During the conflict,, reach an agreement amenable to both sides. Relationship is not about winning or losing, it is meeting in the middle. Try to meet a common understanding amidst argument, settle the conflict in a way that no one is in a disadvantage.

7) Say sorry. It is indeed very hard to say sorry than doing things we surely would be sorry of. Accept your mistakes and face the consequences. It is detrimental to a relationship when pride prevails over acceptance. Saying sorry is a sign of the strong and sincere people.

Forgive and forget. It is human nature to commit mistakes, so try to forgive your partner’s trespasses. When you forgive, try also to forget. Do not bring up past issues and mistakes committed by your partner. Constant blaming and finger-pointing is the surest way towards a failed relationship.

9) Be trustworthy. Relationship must be founded on trust. With trust, doubts and jealousy has no effect on the relationship. Trust your partner and protect your partner’s trust in you. It is very difficult to regain your partner’s trust so keep it sacred.

10) Keep the fire, burning. Indulge in activities that enhance your relationship. Simple activities like dining, sports, fishing, hiking, and vacations are helpful in maintaining romance.

The Foundation of Friendship

A lot has been said about friendship and how it is needed by a lot of people in order to survive.  It takes time, though, to truly know who the real true friends and who are those simply just using you.  It takes time because friendship is bounded with the foundation of trust, and trust can be molded through time.  Accordingly, a strong friendship is born out from the ups and downs of the relationship. Of course, no one misses the fun that friends create. We can be with our own selves and do crazy things if we are together with our close buddies.   No pretensions; just pure fun.

As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of factors that make-up a strong friendship. If these factors are present, then one can truly say that the friendship has withstood the test of time.

Loyalty. One can have many friends, but the question lies – how many friends are loyal to you? Friends who are loyal will never let you down in times of trouble; they are always there when you need their help or support.  It is like that your veins are connected into their veins, that anything troublesome to you is also troublesome to them.  Also, loyalty entails that they will never say anything adverse to you behind your back. True friends are ready to defend you all the time against hearsays or gossips against you.

Trust. Any relationship should be based on trust.  Among friends, this is very important because without trust, there will be doubts and suspicions.   If there is trust, the friendship will be solid as rock.

Fun. Of course, fun is synonymous to being with friends. If we look into ourselves and contemplate, we often do crazy and funny things if we are with our best of friends.  It is always nice to share adventures and thrills with friends such as getting into sports or simple stuff that you have never done before.  Just be merry and laugh as if there is no more tomorrow.  They say that one of the best times in your life is when you share a good laugh and unforgettable funny moments with friends. Meanwhile, some cannot help it that there are some “dirty” funs in between.

Reliability. Friends are the people whom we first call if we need help or simply if we want to celebrate something big.  Friends are always there when you need help, when you need someone to save you from distress – a shoulder to cry on when you are helpless; and a place to ransack when you just want to party.  Friends are those whom you usually spend with during the most important time of your life.

Honesty.  Who wants a friend who lies to you all the time? Openness to each other is very important among friends. We cannot please everybody, so do with our friends. We criticize their bad actuations and sometimes get annoyed with some of their attitudes that we cannot be with. We have to be open and honest with our friends if ever their remarks are already hurting us.  Also, honesty means being sincere with our intentions with each other and does not create lies that are detrimental to the person or to the friendship as a whole.

To sum it all up, friends are those we need the most in our lives in order to survive. There are things that we can only share or open-up with our friends and not to our family, girlfriends/boyfriends or colleagues.  Because friends are important in our lives, let us make sure that we treasure them and take care of them until the very end.