They’re not afraid to have difficult conversations. And when they do bring up tough topics, they approach them with tenderness, honesty, and fairness. They never make you guess if something is bothering them because they will simply tell you. They understand that the best way to resolve a conflict is to face it. They know that this will ultimately make your relationship stronger (and last).
They’ve thrown away the score card. In other words, they aren’t tallying up all the nice things they do for you. They aren’t holding your mistakes against you either.
They have a compatible life vision and values. The life logistics of a relationship matter. Make sure they have a life vision and values that align with yours. For example, if you want kids and they don’t, this is a major conflict in your life values and will lead to trouble down the road.
They’re dependable. They do what they say they will. They show up when they say they will. You don’t question where you stand with them because they’ve proven they are trustworthy through their actions.
They prioritize your relationship. You’re not an afterthought, you’re not on the back burner of their mind. You matter to them and they’ve proven this by making your partnership a priority.
They’re respectful. Full stop.
They understand the importance of having boundaries. And they respect yours and enforce their own.
They make life more fun (especially the boring stuff). Basically, doing the mundane things like taxes, the laundry, grocery shopping, etc. are enjoyable solely because they’re around.
They want to have a relationship with your friends and family. And have made an active effort to do so. The people who are most important to you are also important to them.
They support you. They’re an active listener. They find ways to make your dreams easier to reach. They are there for you during the hard times and the celebratory occasions, too.
They’ve repeatedly proven that they’re committed to building a life with you. Over the course of your relationship, you realize you have grown together (not apart) and this is because they have made the concerted effort to ensure that this was the case. After all, they’ve changes and compromises when it was necessary to do so. They’ve put in the work to make bridge differences (or at least accept them lovingly). They truly embody what a life partner actually is and you can’t imagine loving anyone else.
