Character matters. What you do matters. Having solid, strong character traits will help you to have deep, meaningful, and safe relationships. Likewise, poor character will lead to instability, broken relationships, and heartache.
As discussed under the topic of trust, honesty is vital in relationships. Others need to know that they can count on your word and that you will do what you said you will do. Without honesty and integrity, others will feel on edge, vulnerable, and will pull back from the relationship.
Related Post: How to Build Trust in Your Marriage
Healthy relationships take an investment of hard work. It takes self-sacrifice, patience, and commitment to flourish. As an example, parents who invest the time to parent their children, teach them values, and help them learn from mistakes will usually have well-adjusted kids who make good choices. Parents who let their kids do whatever they want and do not invest the time in nurturing them will typically have unruly, poorly behaved children.
The Gottman Institute reports that research shows that couples who listen to understand the other person and are patient in their responses report higher satisfaction in their marriages. This shows that communication is a vital factor in how satisfied people are in their marriage. Learning assertive communication skills can help reduce conflict, blaming, and defensiveness in the relationship.
Once again, no one is perfect. There will be days of failure and times you lose it. As long as this is the exception and not the norm, relationships should be strong enough to withstand it. If you realize that you have messed up, admit it, ask for forgiveness, and move on. Life is a journey, not a destination.
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