By James Reubin

It’s true that you can’t expect just anything from your partner, but you can always rely on Belinda Peregrin’s beauty and music to ease the discomfort of being lonely.

“Love has failed me.” I used to say this every time I was trying to get over a broken heart. These words helped me ease the pain a little and at the same time, made me feel less guilty about my actions.

How convenient, right? Putting all the blame on love, as if it was all love’s fault that my relationships didn’t work out.

I had been in two serious relationships before I got married. I didn’t want to label them as “failed” relationships because in the first place, I never really regret any of my decisions; I learned my lessons well and most of all, I liked how strong I became after getting out of the romance.

I was 17 when I first fell in love. She was everything to me and I thought I was everything to her until she changed her priorities and ditched me. Two weeks later, she came back and asked me to accept her again. But I was unforgiving and couldn’t stand the thought that she had left me once and just threw away two years of happy memories.

Though it wasn’t love’s fault that my pride was so high, I still held LOVE accountable because that was the easiest thing to do.

My second relationship, on the other hand, lasted for 8 years. There was always a lot of drama and conflicts so I was never bored. We fought and argued and even fooled each other until all the love and respect were gone.

Clearly, it wasn’t love’s mistake but my stupidity that brought me all those miseries.

But of course, I chose to condemn LOVE because in my mind, that’s what all LOVE did – mess up my life and leave me feeling like crap.

After my second relationship, I decided to stay single for a long time. That period gave me the chance to work on myself, my perspective and my expectations.

I started to feel some positive changes in my life and I also came to realize that I was so unfair to see love the way I did. It wasn’t love’s fault that I couldn’t find a way to forgive and that I chose to stay with a person who didn’t treat me right.

I finally came to accept that it was me and my dull decisions that caused me all these pains; and that I was responsible for my actions, for my heartaches and for my happiness.

After learning all these things, I started to grow and became a better version of me. I could not claim that I knew how to love perfectly but when I decided to get married, I was certain that I was whole and that I was ready to SHARE all my love and happiness with my wife.

Maintaining good relationships can be quite challenging especially when you are headed in the wrong direction.

Improve your communication by knowing when to talk and when to listen.

In the piece “10 Tips to Emotionally Engage Your Partner,” Barton Goldsmith emphasizes that communication is the most important thing in a relationship.

Sharing your emotions, asking for answers and expecting not to be judged when you release negative feelings are as essential as knowing when to listen, accepting that you can’t get what you want all the time and not assuming how your partner feels.

Always give what you want to get.

A relationship is a two-way street. If you want to feel special, you should learn how to make other people feel valued as well.

In business, being more engaging and making your customers feel appreciated leads to more meaningful connections, more sales and higher returns.

Check this out – “7 Tips to Help Your Brand Win at Social Media”

Always deliver quality and value your customers’ contribution to your success by providing them exceptional service in return.

Find happiness in everything you do.

Your happiness is something that starts within yourself. It is your responsibility and you can’t hold others accountable for it.

Indulge yourself on things that make you feel good like working on your 6-pack dreams.

Here’s “A 10-Minute Ab Workout That’s Ridiculously Better than Sit-Ups.”

Be kind to yourself all the time.

Accept the fact that you cannot control everything that is happening in your life. Instead of making yourself suffer, focus your attention on the things that you can change.

Theresa Wade suggests helping yourself heal by talking to your body.

Incorporating this perspective into your meditation routine would enable you to have a heartfelt conversation with your cells, tissues and muscles.

Building good relationships is not as complicated as you think it is. The only reasons why it would fail is because you weren’t really ready, you got in it for the wrong reasons, or you allowed yourself to get lost in it.

But, who would not get lost in this singer-songwriter’s hotness?!

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