Relationship Advice: My Thoughts and Tips for a Successful Relationship
Love is in the air my friends. If you’re like me and in a relationship, Valentine’s Day is always a fun day to show your significant other how much you love and care about them. If you’re single, I believe Valentine’s Day is your day to be selfish and spoil yourself and your loved ones. Today I want to give you guys a little bit of insight into my relationship and give you some relationship advice as to how it’s been successful and what works for us.
Now keep in mind, I’m no couples counselor or Dr. Phil, but I’ve had my fair share of relationships and am a bartender, so I guess that makes me a therapist…right?
A little bit of background info on how Lu and I met:
We met through work which is pretty funny because this was the last place that I was looking for love. At the time, we both weren’t looking for a relationship and just happened to become friends and hang out outside of work. After a few weeks of hanging out and getting to better know eachother, he asked me to be his girlfriend. We’ve been together for 2 1/2 years now and it feels just like yesterday we had our first date.
I believe a major reason as to why our relationship has worked so well is the fact that Lu and I became friends first before jumping into a relationship. We took some time to better understand each other and built a solid friendship and foundation.
Lu and I are polar opposites, and I think that’s why we mesh so well together. Lu’s a full blow extrovert and I’m more of an introvert— he’s the yin to my yang.
My Thoughts and Tips for a Successful Relationship:
Understand Your Partner’s Love Language
There are five love languages: words of affirmation, acts of service, recieving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. Each one is important and expresses love in its own way.
We all love differently and crave different forms of love, therefore learning and understanding your partner’s love language will give you a solid foundation for your relationship.
Not sure what your love language is and need better clarification? Find out what your love language says about you and your partner, and use that to your best advantage.
Communication is KEY
Communicate. And I’m not talking about texting 24/7, that’s talking. Actually communicate, even when it’s uncomfortable and doesn’t feel right. Lu and I have built such a strong relationship over the fact that we communicate all the time, and make sure we’re always on the same page. No one ever wants to feel misunderstood, therefore my best relationship advice is to encourage open communication at all times.
Whenever there is a bump in the road, (and it’s bound to happen) don’t avoid it. No relationship is perfect. Lu and I have always had the mentality of “it’s you and I versus the issue, not me versus you”. At the end of the day, we’re a team and need to combat every obstacle together, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it may be.
What I have grown to love about our relationship is our ability to just talk for hours, no distractions, just honest and heartfelt conversations. Our connection and vibeis so strong that Lu knows when I’m off before I even know it. We understand eachother so well that we almost never argue. And I’m not bragging or lying, we really rarely argue. We try to not let it get to the point where we argue because we always communicate. And when we do argue, it never lasts more than a day or two because we cannot go without talking to each other (corny, I know). Communication, trust, and honestly have always been the root of our relationship and the key to our success.
Often times I feel as though relationships crumble or fail because of a lack of communication. When was the last time you asked your partner, “are you happy with our relationship?” or “is there anything I can do to be a better partner?”. Focus on asking open-ended questions that entice your partner to elaborate.
Make Time for Each Other
We all live very fast-paced lives. Between working or going to school, raising kids, and spending time with family and friends, making time for your loved one should be at the top of the list.
Lu works about 65 hours a week while I work and go to school full time. On top of us spending time with our family and friends as well as dedicating time to ourselves, we always make time for each other.
It’s funny because it’s gottent to the point now where our family and friends know which days out of the week are our days together. I’ve adjusted my school scheudle in the past to make sure that we have at least two days off together, and we always make the most out of it.
Whether it be a date night out or staying in and watching movies, my relationship advice is to always make time for your partner. There’s nothing worse than being in a relationship with someone you almost never see.
Don’t know where to start? Surprise your partner with these five date night-in ideas that are sure to score you some extra brownie points!
I am very fortunate for the relationship that I have with Lu. He supports me and motivates me to be the best version of myself and I couldn’t be more thankful for him and all that he does. I truly an lucky enough to be in love with my best friend. I take pride in what we have and can’t wait to one day tell our grandkids about the story of us.
Valentine’s Day, just like any other regular day, should be a day full of love and appreciation. Tell your friends and family members how much they mean to you. Hug someone a little harder, buy your mom some flowers, and spread kindness and love.
If you’re looking for more relationship advice or need someone to vent to, I’m all ears! I'd like to thing that with all my years bartending and in the restaurant industry, I’ve learned to give a lot of really good advice.
As always, don’t forget to share and subscribe. Your support means the world to me! Xo
Image from Dani Haims Photography