Relationships are not always easy. They often take a lot more work than you might think based on what you see in the movies and television. Long-lasting relationships are built on enduring love, which is itself based on a healthy foundation. Couples can plan about building that foundation. Couples who find their relationship lacking what they want can take corrective action to strengthen their foundation. Learn more about the ingredients needed for building a relationship that lasts:
One major component of a successful relationship is that the partners must be compatible. You may have heard that "opposites attract," which is largely true in science class when discussing magnets. It may also sometimes be true in relationships, which is how the phrase became so popular.
However, please note that the phrase says that opposites attract; it does not say they last. Often, "opposites attract" because they find the discord and drama between them interesting. But most relationships cannot sustain that, and trying to do so can lead to unhealthy outcomes for both parties.
In truth, most successful relationships are built on compatibility between the two people, which is not to say that the two partners must be completely alike and agree on everything. Rather, the two people may have some differences. Those differences should be complementary and in areas that do not affect major life decisions. For example, compatibility in plans for the future and major ideologies is ideal.
Beyond being compatible, couples need to communicate. This includes communication in all forms ranging from daily discussions, learning about each other, and even having healthy disagreements. Along with communicating regularly, each partner in the couple needs to feel safe saying what they want and need to say, while the other party needs to be open to hearing what is said.
Sometimes couples do have to work diligently to make and use good communication skills. One key skill is active listening, which involves hearing what your partner is saying. It means listening to listen, not just to think of a response and wait your turn to say what you want. Active listening also involves reflecting or paraphrasing what you hear and asking questions about things you do not understand.
When being the talker and not the listener, good communication skills sometimes require getting your emotions in check, so you do not say things you might regret. At times, you may need to pause, think things over, and then express yourself when you can do so in ways that will not be harmful to the other person or the relationship. This can prevent excessive or unproductive arguments.
At the same time, sometimes couples do need to communicate to work through a disagreement. If a couple never disagrees and never argues, it could mean they are avoiding difficult conversations. Some confrontation of difficult matters is necessary also to make a relationship healthy enough to last. When disagreements do occur, use good communication skills to sort things out in a productive manner.
Simultaneously, communication does not just occur through words. Some people give and receive love in ways aside from just saying the words. Figure out how you typically communicate your love (is it through giving gifts, spending quality time together, or something else). Also, figure out how your partner communicates their love. If you use different ways to communicate, you might miss the signals. However, by talking about it, you can communicate love in ways they will recognize.
You have likely heard the old phrase, which says "honesty is the best policy." Indeed, that is generally the case in a healthy relationship. That is true from the very start. You may be tempted in the early stages of a relationship to be misleading about who you are and what your future may look like. However, being dishonest will not lead to an enduring love or a relationship that lasts.
As you build your relationship, you need to be honest with your partner about your past, present, and future. Making up lies will only undermine the relationship. They will fester and erode at an already poor foundation to the relationship. Now, this is not to say that you must be brutally honest. There may be times where you tell a small fib ("yes, that dinner was fine") so as not to hurt your partner's feelings. However, you should certainly weigh out whether the lie is necessary and not selfish.
You may have heard, "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need." This is true when it pertains to compromise in relationships. The reality is that even if a couple is very compatible with similar mutual goals, there will still be times where each person wants something different. In those instances, the only solution is an old-fashioned compromise.
Now, compromise is not as simple as when one partner gets their way, and the next time the other does. Nor does it always mean meeting in the middle, because sometimes there is no easily found middle-ground solution. Real compromise is about talking things over and finding the best solution in each specific situation. Sometimes one person may have to give more. Sometimes the other person will. Make the focus on finding the best outcome each time so that you do not feel tempted to "keep score."
Being in a relationship also requires a high degree of understanding for one another. You are not always going to be on the same page as your partner. They are going to do things that seem foreign to you. Remember that you were each living your own life with your own families and unique environmental settings until the two of you met. As such, you each learned certain ways of being and doing.
It can be very tempting in a relationship to get judgmental when your partner approaches something vastly different from how you approach that thing. Instead of getting judgmental (which would be detrimental to the relationship), seek understanding. Ask questions to learn about why they do what they do in the way they do it, and you will learn more about your partner. This will strengthen the relationship and contribute to the likelihood that it stands the test of time.
Patience may be a virtue, and it is also an important ingredient in a lasting relationship. Just as you need to avoid judgment and practice understanding, sometimes you will also need to be patient with your partner and patient in the relationship. Your partner may approach life. Differently, they may communicate, and they may sometimes move through life at their own pace. If you push them and rush them, it will harm the relationship. Instead, practice patience.
Kindness can go a long way in life and relationships. You and your partner may love each other completely. However, sometimes actions speak louder than words (and of course, actually saying the words is pretty important too). You can show your love for your partner by practicing kindness. This can happen in small and big ways daily and sometimes in less frequent grander ways.
There are all kinds of ways you can communicate kindness to your partner. Give them compliments, make them lunch, and leave them a little note to cheer up their day. Plan a party, take them to dinner, and go on a trip with them away from the doldrums of daily life. Not only are you showing kindness, but you are also showing your appreciation. Those acts of kindness help them feel loved, which can continue to strengthen a relationship for enduring love that will last a lifetime.
Finally, enduring relationships require a willingness to practice forgiveness. Everyone will mess up from time to time. Your partner may forget that dinner date. They may neglect to pick up milk from the store. Holding grudges will only chip away at the relationship. Forgive the small stuff and let it go. For the bigger stuff (such as a breach of trust or infidelity), you may still need to work towards forgiveness to maintain the relationship. In those cases, you may need outside help to make that fully happen.
Final Recommendations
Many couples choose to seek couples' counseling early on in their relationship to help them build a solid foundation with all the right ingredients in place. Couples counseling can also be useful as a form of pre-marital counseling, which can be quite helpful when transitioning to that lifelong commitment. Beyond that, relationship counseling can be helpful at any time when a couple starts to feel unhappy, suspects there are some underlying and potentially big problems, and needs help sorting it all out.
If you are interested in utilizing Couples Counseling to build a strong foundation for your relationship, strengthen your relationship, or repair some damage, you can seek a nearby counselor or find one online. Many people choose to pursue therapy through online formats, called teletherapy, because of the added convenience and confidentiality.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What does enduring love mean?
Enduring love traditionally means love that lasts over time just as strongly as the day it began, through the tough times and the good times. Enduring love is a person who will continue to love their partner despite any flaws or problems in the relationship that occurs. When people wonder what enduring love is, the easiest answer is that it is a love that won’t fade despite years and even decades going by.
What is an enduring relationship?
Enduring love in a relationship can translate into an enduring relationship. In short, an enduring relationship is between two people who fell in love and work together to keep the relationship strong during the hardest of times. An enduring love in a relationship is where the partners involved continue to love each other despite hardships and flaws. The answer to what is enduring love comes in the form of being a best friend, sacrificing for a partner, planning a future, always building an emotional and physical connection, and open communication. Relationships with this type of enduring love can survive for years and thrive long after they began.
What is the definition of enduring?
As covered in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word endure means to continue in the same state and remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding. It can also mean to undergo without giving in. In other contexts, enduring can have a negative connotation meaning to regard something with acceptance and tolerance. When people ask what enduring love is, the answer is a love that persists throughout time and is unyielding.
What is an example of an enduring issue?
An enduring issue is a problem that has been debated or discussed throughout time, with no single solution ever being agreed upon or presented. For example, the topic of revolution or war is an enduring issue that society has debated over for decades and even centuries. An enduring issue may be a problem in the relationship that keeps popping up over time and doesn’t go away, even if both partners try their best to eliminate the issue.
What is an enduring characteristic?
A common example of an enduring characteristic could be a person prone to enduring love. Many wonder what enduring love is, and an answer is a person who fell in love and can continue to love a person the same amount as the first time they fell in love. In a definition sense, an enduring characteristic of a person is something permanent or lasting within them. As mentioned, love could be an example. Other common enduring characteristics are tenacity, empathy, confidence, awareness, focus, and even inspiration.
What is playful love?
Playful love isn’t quite the same as enduring love. Playful love can eventually evolve into an enduring love, but it does not start that way. A playful, sometimes uncommitted; love usually involves teasing, dancing, flirting, or seducing. Whereas the answer to enduring love is deep emotions and love in every aspect of a relationship, playful love is a more surface-level love that most relationships see in the beginning stages. As mentioned, this form of love can evolve into an enduring love, and it’s always beneficial to have any aspect of playfulness in a relationship. In fact, having playful love in a relationship can help enduring love develop and strengthen the relationship a person is in.
Does love endure?
Two of the most common questions asked are what is enduring love, and does love endure? Anybody can find love that endures throughout time and build a relationship that lasts for a lifetime. Building up a long-lasting relationship and finding the answer to what is enduring love is a long journey, but one that is quite worth it in the end. When two partners are willing to put in an equal amount of work into growing the relationship and growing with each other, the question of enduring love will be answered through their actions. Love can certainly endure, but not every relationship a person ends up in will have this type of love. Find a relationship where you no longer have to wonder what enduring love is because your partner's actions let you know how much they care about you.