How to make yourself happy in a relationship: “the” golden rule

 

SheDream.com

Relationships
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

“The” golden rule to make yourself  happy in a relationship is very simple: BE YOURSELF. 

This may sound crazy to many readers. Of course you must be yourself in a relationship, who else could you be? And yet it is amazing how many women on a daily basis make one of the most common mistakes when they go out with a guy: they make their own world revolve around the partner. They adjust their own lifestyle for him, to make him fit, or to make sure that he does not leave them. Sorry to say this, but if you have to work so hard to make someone fit with your life or to make a relationship work, then the hint is clear: that relationship is not right for you. Of course relationships need work on a daily basis, little compromises are often necessary, but the work should be on both sides, not just your side. Moreover, the type of work required should not involve major changes in your life to the point where you lose your own identity.  

The fact is that some women want so much to make the relationship succeed, that they deny who they are and what they want to give him whet they believe he wants. And they lie to themselves.  They lie because they try to be something they are not. And they are being unfair to themselves. They are denying themselves the opportunity to be happy within their present relationship or maybe to meet a person with whom they could be happy. And the lie to him. They lie to him because they pretend to be something they are not. They build resentment towards him whilst he does not even have a clue about what is going on because he believes that she is happy! Why else would she be doing all the things she does if she were not happy? He would never do that and so it would never cross his mind that she would continue for months or years to do things that she does not like doing. It would not make any sense to him.

Finally, by trying to be something they are not, women do not give themselves nor the guy any credit. Maybe the guy would prefer the ‘real her’. Or maybe he would like her just as much. Or maybe he would just want her to be happy, because as long as she is happy, he is happy too. But unless they give the guy the chance to know who they really are and what they really need, how can he be supportive?

The bottom line is that women need to be honest with themselves (well, men too really, but we are talking about ‘us women’ here). Women need to understand who they are and what they want out of a relationship. And they must have realistic expectations, both of the guy and the relationship. Things are not always going to be perfect. There are ups and downs in relationships as there are up and downs in life. Their guy is probably not perfect, he will most certainly have good qualities as well as flaws (at least in her eyes), exactly like they have too (I know, it pains me to admit that us women are not really perfect either!).  But one thing is accepting and working through ups and downs in a relationship, and another is denying who they are and what they need in order to make the relationship ‘work’.  

If you want to have a chance to be happy in a relationship, then allow yourself to “be yourself”. There is only so long you can keep up the act of being something you are not without feeling unhappy, depressed or resentful. You deserve better that, don’t you think?