In my opinion this is the number one reason that most relationships fail, be it "new relationships" that are under a year old or tried and true 15+ year relationships or even those that fall somewhere in between. At some point during the relationship one or both of the partners get lazy. They stop looking at their partner as someone important, special and integral in their life.They stop seeing their love and relationship as a wondrous gift to be treasured. They start taking it all for granted.
We, as a society, put so much emphasis into the courting process it is unbelievable, yet we refuse to put the same amount of effort into maintaining those same relationships, into making them stronger and better. Just think about all the effort that goes into courting; Expensive dinners, flattery, flowers, wine, compliments, elaborate gifts, etc all in an effort to woo and impress new potential partner after new potential partner. All that time, money and effort spent trying to impress someone you aren't even sure you'll be compatible with all in an effort to convince them that they are compatible with you and should give you a chance or at the very least, take you to bed.
Do me a favor and take a minute to think back and remember your last 2 previous relationships (for this exercise a relationship consists of 7 or more months). Now think back on the first 3-6 months of both those relationships, do a quick estimate on the amount of money and, time and effort that you put into those first few months, then compare that to the time effort and money spent in the last 2-3 months of those relationships. Notice a significant difference? A decrease in all of the above perhaps? If you do notice that, you are definitely not alone.
Now for those of you that are in current relationships of 6 or more months, take a minute and honestly think about the last time you randomly thought to yourself something along the lines of, "My partner is so wonderful/special I am so lucky to have him/her in my life"? When is the last time you showed your partner that you felt that way about them? Now compare how much time you spent in the beginning of your relationship; talking, walking, hand holding, cuddling, etc to how much time you spend together now. Do you notice a significant decrease? How about the quality of your time together, has that increased or decreased? Do you find yourself more often including others in your dates by going out in groups or to parties? Or maybe you spend more time at the movies, an activity that requires no connection or talking, than you used to. When was the last time you looked in your partners eyes and told them how much they mean to you, why they are so important to you, or some of the traits you love and admire about them? When is the last time you remember hearing any of those things from them? When was your last weekend away, out of the blue gift, special date planned?Do you often find yourself to be "present" during the time you spend with your partner or are you often busy with other things- such as video game playing, reading, watching a movie, talking to friends, texting, etc - and just count it as "together time' because you were both in the same room at the same time.?.When's the last time you asked (and honestly listened to the answer out of a true desire to know) how your partners day was? If you are having trouble answering these questions, it may be time for a change.
You cannot keep a relationship healthy if it is not being built upon. A relationship is a lot like water without the flow and currents of change, it grows stagnate. A relationship must grow and be constantly built upon and nourished if it is to flourish and remain healthy. You cannot coax and woo and win a significant other only to then immediately sit on your bum and never make another effort again while still expecting the relationship to survive. The work that goes into finding a partner and starting a relationship is like the warm-up before a really intense workout compared to the amount of work it takes to keep a relationship strong, healthy and happy.
Nurturing your heart, your partner, your relationship is extremely vital to the success of any and every relationship. The actions of nurturing your relationship, reminding your heart of who it fell for and why it fell in the first place does not just strengthen your relationship, but strengthens your love for your partner as well. A happy loving heart is a healthy heart. Your love will grow abundantly with every nurturing action you take, which only works to strengthen your own happiness and your relationship as well.
So now do me one last favor, stop reading this blog, turn off your computer, walk over to your significant other look them in hte eye and remind them, as well as yourself, why you fell for them in the first place. Once you've done that then take the rest of the evening to cuddle, talk and spend real quality time together, both of you fully present and see where that leads you.
Good luck in life & in love...
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