10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR LOVE LAST

Be Self-Assured.

Tell yourself you are more than good enough. Have a positive outlook about yourself and about your relationship with your sweetie. Don't let insecurity rule you. Realize your honey is lucky to be with you. Act accordingly. If you demand respect, you'll get it.

Let Your Heart (not hormones) Guide You.

Yes, of course you love your honey and he is hot and attractive... but that's
not what keeps a relationship together. Physical attraction is great, but you have to have things in common and genuinely enjoy being with each other too. Don't think messing around can take the place of love - they are two different things.

Have Patience.

Don't move too fast in your relationship. No matter how sure you are that your boyfriend is the guy of your dreams. Just because he whispers that L-word a few times in a make-out session, don't rush into heavy duty physical action until you've been going out a long time. Boys say the L-word when they don't mean it... their hormones take over their mouths. If you take it slow, you'll have less chance of doing something you end up regretting later.

Be There for Each Other.

This is one of the main factors that keeps a love together. Be supportive of your honey and he will most likely be supportive of you too. Show him you are happy when things go well for him, and be understanding and sympathetic when things don't go so great. It's a sweet thing to do for someone you care about, and it's an obvious way to show how much you care.

Trust.

This is one thing a relationship cannot survive without. You need to be able to trust your guy, and to be trusted by him. That means no flirting with other guys in front of your boyfriend. It also means knowing when you're crossing the line... and stopping yourself before you act badly. For you to trust him, you have to have confidence in the kind of person he is. And for you to be trusted, you have to earn that confidence from him through your good behavior.

Make Your Opinions Heard.

It's great to go along with your boyfriend's decisions sometimes, but it's also important to be clear when you have an opinion on something. Always be honest about what you feel and think about things. Don't let him make all the decisions for the relationship, or he'll start feeling like he's overburdened or he could go on a power trip. It takes communication. Compromise is good, and togetherness in decisions is ideal.Togetherness in decisions is always great.

Don't Put On an Act.

Don't try to be someone you are not to keep him interested. For example, don't say you are interested in things you couldn't care less about. Putting on an act not only makes you feel fake, but you'll doubt whether he cares for you or just your perfect little persona. Plus, he's going to find out eventually what you really feel. Have your own opinions, make them known and be your wonderful self. He's got to love you for who you are, and accept the things he doesn't adore, and you've got to do the same with him. That's real love.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff.

It's great to have opinions, but sometimes you and he will have opposite ones. Fights happen. What's important to keep in mind is some things are worth getting worked up about... and some things just aren't. Be careful about how you act in fights. Remember, finishing the fight and making up should be the goal, not winning at any cost. So don't pull friends into your fights. Be honest and tell him when something he does or says gets you angry (don't hide it and stew in resentment). Just because you're mad over one thing, don't make generalizations (avoid the words "always" or "never", as in "you're always ignoring me", Remember that it takes two people to argue and two people to apologize. Aim to resolve your differences and compromise to make things go better next time the situation/conversation comes up.

Have Open Communication and Keep it Flowing.

Share your inner thoughts with each other. Tell each other about your hopes, dreams, and fears. This pulls you together and creates a close bond. Tell him what you like best about him. Tell him how good it feels when he kisses you, how safe you feel in his arms. Tell him what you want for your birthday, don't make him guess. If you want him to kiss you differently, suggest a new move (just don't say his old way was bad!). Keep talking, and you will keep learning about each other and growing ever closer together.

Respect Each Other's Need for Space.

You both need time to yourself and to hang with friends. Even if you feel like you want to spend every minute with him, make yourself do some alone stuff or girlfriends-only activities. It's good for your relationship. There are things you can only do with friends, that boys can't be around for. So don't be afraid to say you want to spend some time hanging with pals or have some time to yourself every now and then. Being constantly together can lead to feeling smothered, by one or both of you.

ROMANCE 101

How to turn Your Relationship into a Great Romance!

OK...Let's talk about romance! The #1 most important thing you need to turn your relationship into a great romance is DESIRE. You have to WANT great romance in your life. Well, who wouldn't want that? But it won't just happen...it will take some effort. But it will be well worth it!

When asking couples why they think the romance has escaped their relationships, the most common excuse is TIME. It's sooooooo hard to find time and energy to devote to your relationships. But think for a moment back to your courtship. What was different then? Didn't you have a job then? Didn't you have other responsibilities then? Of course you did...maybe not to the extent that you do now, but you still had a schedule to keep, whether it was attending college, studying, playing sports, attending club meetings, keeping a job, etc. But somehow you found the time to "woo" your partner, right? You found time to date, right? Why? Because you WANTED TO! You planned it into your schedule and did it! And why were those times together so special? Because that specific amount of time was set aside and reserved for one reason...ROMANCE! And during those "dates" you gave 100% of your attention to each other, right? That's what made it special.

Now I want you to think about the last time you and your partner went out to dinner. What did you talk about? Maybe it was the family finances, or difficulties at work, or...the KIDS. Wow, what a romantic dinner, huh? That's the problem. You have to learn to create romantic situations that focus 100% on each other. Save the "problem solving" for another time. I can't tell you how many times in the past my husband and I went out to dinner and whenever we got home, I didn't even feel like we went out! Why? Because the whole time we were out, we were busy doing that "problem solving" stuff instead of enjoying what little time we had together. So, that's the second most important thing you need to turn your relationship into a great romance...PRIORITY. Make it a priority to spend quality, FOCUSED time with your partner. These special times should be set aside JUST for the two of you to enjoy each others company...nothing else...PERIOD.

Okay...So now we have established that creating great romance will require DESIRE, and making it a PRIORITY. The next thing we need is a PLAN! You may have heard the saying, "You didn't plan to fail, you just failed to plan!" Anything worth doing requires a good plan. It can be as simple as scheduling one evening per week as "date night," or promising to spend "x" amount of time doing something romantic for your partner each week. There are plenty of books, magazines, web sites, newsletters, etc. that will
give you lots of ideas to use for your romantic "dates." Use your imagination & be creative! The most important thing is to make a plan and then stick to it…no matter what.

After that, all that's left to do is sit back and watch the magic of romance do it's thing! Oh, I'm not saying that this is going to be easy...it WILL take a little work. But it will be FUN work!