Love is only the beginning of a relationship and after the initial period of romance, magic and perfection comes the hard work. If commitment follows, in order for a healthy relationship to progress, there needs to be understanding of necessary skills. Otherwise, what will result is either eventual divorce or a long, lifeless marriage. The secret key is choosing to grow and stay creative with each other, regardless of what the future brings, children, aging or any other factors.

KEEPING THINGS FRESH.
All relationships grow somewhat stale over time. It’s inevitable. But attitude is crucial in ensuring that romance, sexuality, communication, individual needs, parenting all receives the nurturing required. Relationships are like a garden. Without watering, feeding and tending, they will wither and die. It’s that simple. There are two individuals in a marriage but also a third entity - the relationship itself - and that needs attention too.

Let’s look at each area separately:

Romance - time spent together regularly as a couple is vital. Both partners need to foster the element of surprise, stay spontaneous, think of unusual outings, bring flowers, plan romantic dinners, take holidays away together, be best friends, compliment each other constantly.

Sexuality -experiment, have fun, never take each other for granted, be spontaneous in and out of the bedroom, feel sexy yourself and then share it, never pressure your partner into having sex, never reject in an unkind way, stay faithful if that’s the agreement, don’t over-stress orgasm, combine sexuality with emotion and spirituality.

Communication -The key component of a positive relationship is the ability to speak openly and honestly about needs, feelings, issues, grievances and all other relevant points for discussion. There firstly has to be willingness on both sides for this free expression. Trust is required and lack of fear, and the surrender of ego. With good communication, all difficulties can be resolved; without it, even loving relationships will falter.

Individual needs - no matter how much two people love each other, it’s important not to become codependent, to still operate as complete individuals. This is the responsibility of each person but also to allow each other emotional and physical space, not to put too many demands on the other person and to foster separate interests, friends and activities whilst staying close. Healthy boundaries should be established right at the start.

Parenting -Once children are introduced into the mix, challenges for the relationship naturally increase, mainly in the areas of time pressures, finances, stress levels, emotional demands. This is when a marriage can seriously falter. It’s particularly important now that the couple make private time for each other, regardless of parenting requirements. Mothers must ensure that they don’t neglect their husbands after the babies come, and fathers need to be as supportive as possible. Co-parenting is vital so that children learn from the start not to play one parent off with the other. Specific skills are crucial and these should be gained from experts as well as by practice.

As a relationship and the partners age with time, it’s very easy for boredom, resentment, even cynicism and dislike to develop. Each of us goes through many life-stages as the years go along - new jobs, new homes, children, menopause, mid-life crisis, retirement. Change is part of life and each one brings inherent difficulties.

A stable loving relationship is a great gift in the shifting tides of any lifetime but it requires work, compassion, love, tolerance and patience. With knowledge, especially knowledge of self, success is far more likely. Success is not just a relationship enduring but also thriving and bringing joy.

Every woman is assigned with complex multiple roles in her life. She continuously works on her relationships to find ways to improve them, whether it is a relationship with her parents, her spouse, her kids, her acquaintances or her co-workers. But, when it comes to her relationship with spouse, she sometimes finds it difficult to establish a great relationship with him. However, if she finds the right partner, that’s half the battle won. As you are one among the versatile women, we provide you some keys to successful relationship so that you can build up a strong relationship with your spouse effortlessly.

Communication: Communication is the first key to any relationship. Good communication helps you maintain transparency with your spouse. If things related to your marriage run in your mind, don’t let them go without discussing them with your partner. For instance, if you feel that your partner has said hurt your feelings and you don’t let him known, you may find yourself getting annoyed at everything you do. You may go nitpicking at your spouse. Hence, speak your mind.

However, just spewing out whatever is on your mind in any tone of voice is not communication. You should talk to your spouse but it is of no use if you don’t do it with respect. You should also remember that besides talking about things, you should be a good listener too.

Honesty: “Honesty is the best policy”! You should never forget this proverb, especially in your marriage. You may not know that even “white lies” is unhealthy for a good relationship.

Trust: Trust is the foundation for a relationship. When you are in a good relationship, there is no harm to trust your partner. Don’t be suspicious of your partner all the time, because it is not a sign of good relationship. Don’t worry when your partner is working late. However, we don’t say that you should have blind faith in your partner.

Respect: A healthy relationship demands mutual respect for one another. It is okay to disagree with your partner, but not at the cost of mutual respect. You must respect each other’s opinions, values and differences.

Dependability: Women may debate on the need of independence in a relationship. But, we say that it is very important to have dependability in a relationship. A woman should be, of course, independent to take her decisions, or to do what she wishes to do, but this independence should not compromise the very existence of a relationship. A dependable and reliable partner will rather give you a great sense of security within your relationship. When you have tough times, when you hit rocky patches in your life, it is important to have somebody there for you.