10 Things You Should Never Give Up For A Relationship
When entering a relationship you will be told that compromise is important. However, some compromises are not possible. All relationships serve their purpose, whether you stay with someone for a few weeks or for an entire lifetime. Any relationship should support, encourage, uplift, and challenge you to become a better person, not drain you of energy and make you feel bad about yourself. Do not give up the following 10 things for a relationship.
1. Your Happiness.
Give up a relationship that undermines your sense of happiness and fulfillment during a long-term basis. If you feel unappreciated and unhappy, ask yourself why and assess whether the relationship you are in has anything to do with your sadness.
2. Your Self Respect.
The respect that you have for yourself is one important thing that you should not be willing to give up. Your self-respect impacts your self-esteem which plays directly on your confidence level. If you are in a relationship and you feel pressured to do something that goes against your morals and values, then it is time for you to evaluate that relationship and see if it is something that you actually want in your life.
3. Your Independence.
Being in a relationship can be a wonderful, loving experience. It’s always important to maintain your independence and resist morphing into one mutual identity. See your friends; enjoy interests that don’t always include your partner and keep a separate bank account for yourself. Independence is healthy and always helps you feel you are in the relationship because you want to be not because you need to be.
4. Your Right To Freedom Of Choice.
Never give up your opinions and freedom of choice to keep another person happy. Compromise is important and a win-win situation is the ideal outcome, but be wary of partners that try to control you. Whether it involves negative comments about the way you dress, the way you cook or clean the house or the friends you have – choose for yourself and do not be manipulated into doing things you don’t agree with in order to keep the peace.
5. Your Other Relationships.
If your partner is forcing you to get rid of some of your relationships then that for sure is a red flag. Leave as quickly as possible. No one should be forcing you to sever your relationships with family members or close friends. It could be that they feel threatened by them and want to isolate you as a means of controlling you and so you need to be careful.
6. Your Goals And Ambitions
Your goals and ambitions are yours only. If you enter a relationship, that relationship should be a supportive one where in your partner is making a sincere effort to help you achieve your goals. If it is that they are coming to the table with a bag of excuses, negativity and bad mind, then leave while you still can. Your ambitions are yours and you should find someone who is supportive of you and your efforts to put your best foot forward.
7. Your Self-Esteem.
Some relationships bring out the best in us, others leave us feeling unworthy and unsure of ourselves. If you find you are full of self-doubt and are less confident than you were at the beginning of the relationship it might be time to analyze where this decrease has come from. A healthy relationship should provide a solid base from which to explore the world and achieve the best you possibly can.
8. Your Right To Be You.
Protect your fundamental characteristics and personality traits and never give up the ‘essential you.’ We all change to a certain degree in relationships but be careful that you don’t try too hard and end up losing yourself in the process. Those who love you will adore the real you and all your imperfections. Constantly trying to change yourself will erode your confidence and self-esteem and it can be demoralizing.
9. Your Identity.
When we immerse ourselves in a relationship, we tend to take on the interests and habits of our partners. There is nothing wrong with this process as ‘mirroring’ helps us to bond and feel more in tune. The problem comes in when we do not have a strong sense of self to begin with and we take on too many characteristics of our partner instead of developing our own identity. If we are too influenced by our partners we may stop making decisions for ourselves and veer off the path of true self-discovery.
10. Fun.
Do you enjoy the company of your partner; do you laugh, play, act like kids, and try new things together? A relationship always comes with disagreements from time to time, but even after a long time of being together, you still should be able to do activities that bring out the inner child in both of you. You should never give up fun in a relationship – without fun, life can become pretty mundane, and it will only cause tension if you remain with someone who can’t relax and let loose every once in a while.
