Finding love is one of the best feelings in the world, but you don’t want to lose vital parts of yourself in the process. Your independence is something that should never be sacrificed, especially when you’re in a relationship. You worked hard to build your empire while you were single, so don’t neglect it just because you met someone.
- You need to have your own money. You worked hard to become self-sufficient, and you shouldn’t give that up as long as there’s still a chance that you’ll go back to being an awesome party of one. Not only do you need an emergency exit plan, but it just feels good to rely on no one but yourself.
- You should still be killing it in your career. Your romance is great, but you shouldn’t lose focus of what you’re doing with your life. It can be a challenge to focus sometimes when your significant other is on your mind more than work, but keep it together. The feeling of success will be worth it, and any worthwhile partner will support your career.
- You can’t back down on your beliefs. No matter how strong your feelings are, don’t water down who you are or try too hard to align with your partner. It’s best to be honest about who you are and what you believe, because you want the relationship to be built on truth, not lies.
- You should have a place to call your own. When you’re happily committed and love being around each other, the last thing you want to do is ruin it by moving in together too quickly. There’s plenty of time for that down the road, when you’ve cemented the relationship more solidly and the little annoyances of cohabitation won’t seem as daunting.
- You can’t water down your personality. You should never pretend you like something you don’t (or vice versa), because it’s not only dishonest but it’s going to get really exhausting keeping up that act. Even if your partner doesn’t agree with your opinions, they should respect that you are your own person and won’t necessarily agree with them on everything. Besides, wouldn’t you rather be loved for who you really are?
- You’ve got to prioritize hanging out with your friends (without your other half). Even though you’re in love, you shouldn’t spend every spare second with your significant other. Of course you want to introduce them to your friends and bring them to some events, but you should also be making time to hang out with your friends solo. If you don’t spend any time apart, how will you ever miss each other?
- You need to set goals outside the relationship. Being in a relationship shouldn’t make you complacent about your own goals. You should still be working to make your dreams come true, and a good partner will be supportive of your dreams because they’ll want you to be happy.
- You can’t give up your alone time. Even though you’re in a happy relationship and you love being around your significant other, you still need your alone time to think, dream, plan, and just chill out. Don’t fall into a pattern of codependence; maintain the balance between your own life and your romance, and both will be more fulfilling.
