The Opposite Sex: How to Tell Your Relationship is Working

Anna Frank

Over the last few weeks and months, we've focused on some bad relationships to avoid, some dramatic relationships that exist inside and outside of our television sets, and many other things of that nature. We haven't really looked too much into what goes right in relationships. Defining a good relationship is a tall task, so bear with me, but without further ado let's take a look and see what we can come up with.

First things first: there's no standard when it comes to having a successful relationship. Each person is different, with vastly different past experiences and combinations of defining personality traits. Our relationships, and not just the romantic ones, are obviously based on how we interact with others, which is predicated on our own unique experiences and traits as well as the way they match up with another person's unique combination of experiences and traits. To put it a little more simply: each person and every relationship is completely unique and different.

With all that having been said, there's a pretty simple recipe when it comes to having a successful relationship: find someone who makes you happy and who inspires you to make them happy. 

A lot of people like to talk about how opposites attract, some people say the best relationships are those between people who look similar. Some people say you should be a little different, some say you should be a little similar. It really doesn't matter. 

What matters is that you find someone you match up with. And that doesn't mean that you have a ton of things in common with this person, but rather that you can be yourself around them and don't ever feel any pressure to act any differently around them.

Don't get caught up in everything you hear about the perfect relationship. If you don't get a fuzzy butterfly feeling when you wake up in the morning, or if you don't have emotional breakdowns every time you see this person, that doesn't mean you aren't in a good relationship. It really is dependent on yourself as a person and the way you match up with your partner.

It's also important to note that your happiness isn't the only thing to consider in a relationship. A vastly important thing to consider, yes, but it's not the only thing. If you're happy in a relationship because your partner makes sacrifice after sacrifice, or puts in an absurd amount of effort to make you happy, then that's all well and good but it won't last. A successful relationship should mean that you're extremely happy, and that you're driven to make your partner even happier.

If there's anything to take away from this, just make sure you know that your relationship will be different from any relationship you've experienced in the past or any you might experience in the future. It will be its own unique experience, and shouldn't be held to unreasonable standards. Just know what you're getting out of it, know what you're putting in, and make sure you adjust accordingly.