by Elaine Sihera

Created on: April 09, 2008

30 Essential Actions For Dating Your Partner Forever

It is very easy to fall into bad habits of negativity and avoidance in a relationship. Below are ideas to maintain your love or to give it a positive boost. The list is designed to be a quick review check of your daily actions. It is not meant to be exhaustive either. It merely mentions the most popular and necessary items. Feel free to add to the list other things which matter to you.

If there is anything on the list you cannot do, or haven't been doing, you need to ask yourself why. A reluctance could indicate a genuine lack of love or affection which will limit your action. As a rue, the fewer the number of items from the list being done by either party, the worse state the relationship is currently in! The actions are listed for specific genders, and in priority order, but each one applies to both parties in the relationship.

1. Hug and caress her.
2. Cuddle and put your arms around him in front of others.
3. Say: I love you' at least once each day.
4. Hold hands.
5. Kiss her.
6. Listen attentively when she talks about her interest and herself.
7. Compliment something he did.
8. Let her know when you are proud of her.
9. Tell him what you like about him.
10. Compliment her to her friends.
11. Tell him when he looks atractive.
12. Smile when you look at him.
13. Enjoy special time out relaxing and basking in each other's company.
14. Take a walk, a ride or a drive together.
15. Play a game together.
16. Call her at work just to say Hello' and to hear her voice.
17. Write a surprise love note or send some flowers.
18. Ask her how she feels.
19. Ask for, or listen to, his opinion.
20. Take her out on a surprise date.
21. Indulge one of his whims.
22. Offer to help her whenever possible.
23. Serve him breakfast in bed or cook a favourite meal.
24. Rub her back soothingly.
25. Take a shower/bath together.
26. Tell her a joke.
27. Instead of complaining, tell him what you would prefer.
28. Ask her what she'd like sexually.
29. Carry his photo in your bag.
30. Go away together for a love-filled weekend.

As you look over these tips for a better relationship, you may note that the big secret to a happy long-term relationship and keeping your partner is no secret at all. These actions are simple common sense, but it seems that common sense is not always so common. These are the things you would have done REGULARLY when you first met and fell in love. Yet only 20-25 per cent of couples are able to keep doing most of them after they settle down.

For reasons that are obscure, many couples sabotage their own relationship with over-familiarity, treating partners like possessions, taking them for granted or simple neglect, as though it is against the law to be loving to one's spouse. Yet happier couples are not more intelligent or more informed. All it really needs in any relationships is the understanding that, unless we use something, or really appreciate it, we will most certainly lose it.

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