Trust, Love and Commitment are the three main building blocks of relationships. It’s one thing to be in love and a completely different thing to be able to make that relationship last long. Run through the checkpoints below to find out how much you really love your partner and if your relationship will stand the test of time or not.

1. Real communication: There is a difference between casually talking to each other and actually ‘communicating’. Observe how often you talk about important issues like the future of your relationship, your careers, each other’s family and so on. This is a solid marker of how far your relationship will go.

2. Difference in opinion: Fights are common in couples and sometimes they are actually good because they bring more closeness. But does every conversation of yours end up in a fight? If there is a fight, who makes up? If there is a disagreement about something, do you accept your differences mutually or do you end up becoming intolerant of each other’s approaches and thoughts? If the answer to most of the questions is negative, then it’s an indicator that you will have to learn to respect each other’s way of thinking and ‘agree to disagree’.

3. Talk about the future: Being in love is all about dreaming for the future and making castles in the air. Many couples are afraid of addressing the future thinking it’s a commitment in disguise, but some amount of wishful thinking about your future together is important for your love to last.

4. How much do you know about him/her: Irrespective of how long you have been in love with each other, the more you know of small things about each other – the more your relationship is likely to last. It’s not only about remembering the birthdays and the anniversaries, it’s about remembering what he likes for breakfast, what color she prefers, what fragrance he wears and so on.

5. Accepting flaws: Your partner has to accept you the way you are and vice versa. If you observe that your partner never complains about your shortcomings and always tries to work his/her way around it – you know that you’re in for a long lasting relationship. Bickering over small habits of each other always proves to be a deal breaker in the long term.

6. Independence: A lot of couples fall out of love and relationships because they confuse the meaning of love with dependence. Love doesn’t mean that couples have to stick around with each other all the time. The kind of independence you give each other will go a long way in determining how long your relationship will last. Do you hang out with your own friends individually? Do you have to ask your partner each time you make a decision? Are you compelled to inform your partner about each thing that occurred during the day? If the answer to these questions is yes, it could prove to be a major deterrent to a long lasting relationship.

7. Expectations: If you started dating when you were young or hooked up at a party, your expectations of each other will start changing as you move on with each other. Don’t expect the same bubbly nature of young love to carry on as your relationship grows. The sooner you tailor your expectations according to the stage of the relationship you are in; you will have more chances of your relationship to last longer.

8. Trust: If you keep checking about your partner’s whereabouts, you’re likely to be less in love and more likely to be in possession of your partner. If you are constantly thinking about what your partner is doing when he/she is away from you, then the relationship will start suffocating both of you very soon. Make sure that both of you trust each other to such a point that the question of “Who were you with” never arises.

9. Being expressive: When couples start dating, everything is nice and perfect – flowers, chocolate and other tokens of love are showered onto each other. But this has to last. Make sure that you regularly express your love to your partner – through words, gifts or actions. If you are in the habit of doing this and not taking each other for granted as your relationship progresses, both your love and relationship will surely last long.

Your relationship will prove to be long lasting if you don’t take each other for granted for all the points mentioned above. If you have love, truthfulness and sincerity towards each other, you both will surely be secure.

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