Today, I was in a small shop filled with Valentine’s day gifts, when a man came hurrying in and started looking around like he was looking for gold.

He kept looking over the merchandise while seemingly overwhelmed and frustrated.

I could tell he was a bit stressed and while I was observing his body language he looked at me and said, “Why do I have to get her anything?”

With a surprised look on my face – I said, “Well, why do you?”

He said, “if I don’t, she’ll be mad at me for not being thoughtful and it will ruin the entire day.”

Standing in the middle of hearts and love balloons, we are talking about an entire day being ruined if he didn’t deliver a card, or flowers…

What happened to just showing someone you love them by spending the day together and celebrating each other?

There are many variables that go into a relationship other than physical attraction.

Many people’s view of a relationship is mainly focused on outside factors like, physical attributes, success levels, social status, what gifts he/she gives, etc…

What most people don’t focus on are the most important attributes of choosing a life partner.  When we choose a life partner we are choosing many things:

Journey Partner – The curiosity for life and the desire to live and have new experiences on this journey together.

Sexual Partner – Sex is one of the most important aspects of human life and relationships.

Beyond physical arousal, sex is also a communications tool, because we communicate the love we have for the other person.

Parenting Partner – Your other half will profoundly influence your children. 

Travel Companion – Ernest Hemingway once said: “Never go on trips with anyone you don’t love.” 

Retirement Partner – You will have a lot of time to spend with each other once the kids are gone and you are no longer working 8+ hours a day.

Many relationships and marriages often fail because of how two people relate to each other.

The relationship either grows into love and harmony – or it grows into suspicion, doubt, resentment – and can eventually lead to a break up or divorce.

We must remind ourselves that a relationship is a journey not a destination.

A harmonious relationship is built on growth, honesty, communication, and complete openness.

This is the type of relationship when you feel like you can be your true self – you are not pretending to be someone you are not.

A marriage partner is the most important person in our life, because over time no single relationship has more of an impact on our lives and who we are as individuals, parents, entrepreneurs, etc… than our spouse.

Being in a loving relationship inspires us to be the best we can be, because it’s uplifting and supportive.