“Actions speak louder than words” may be a bit of a cliche but it’s true, especially when it comes to love. If we had a dime for every guy who said “I love you” but CLEARLY didn’t mean it, we’d all be rich enough to fund our own spin-off of The Bachelor. Finding a guy who knows how to SHOW how he feels and not just say it is much harder to come by. Guys, this is how it’s done.
- Pay attention to the little things. And not just the basic first date questions like our favorite color is or how many siblings we have. You need to listen to our stories well enough to hear the things we don’t even realize she mentioned. Take us to our favorite restaurant without having to ask or download that Netflix movie we quoted one time even if we never said it was our favorite.
- Kiss us like you mean it. There’s no way to deny how you feel about us when your lips tenderly, softly, and intensely meet ours. Kiss us every morning, every night, and every time you look into our eyes and are compelled to tell us we’re beautiful. Kiss us even if you’re fighting, and never take a single one for granted. We’ll notice.
- Be our biggest cheerleader. Nothing says love quite like unwavering support and encouragement. Whether it’s our professional life or a personal challenge, make sure we know that no matter what, you’re in our corner. The honeymoon phase may come and go, but being able to trust that you’ll stand by us through thick and thin shows that you truly do love us and our goals, even if they seem out of reach.
- Spend time with the people who mean the most to us. Family and friends are the most important things in a woman’s life outside of you. If we don’t feel like we can be with them and bring you along, there will always be an invisible wedge between us. Get to know the people in our lives that matter most, especially the ones who knew us before we found you. There’s a reason we’re the women we are today, so lean on the people who helped shape us.
- Let us have a life outside of our relationship. There’s a big difference between being in love and being dependent. If we don’t feel like we can have an independent life outside of ours as a couple, we’ll never be able to grow in the ways we need. Trusting us to do our own thing and make our own plans proves that you admire our strength and abilities on our own. Of course you want to spend time with us but it should be out of true desire, not obligation.
- Try something new with us that pushes us out of our comfort zones. Embrace our interests, share your own and make sure you’re always up for exploring and adventuring together. Knowing you’re interested in giving our favorite sport a go or tackling the hike we’ve always wanted to try proves that you want to make usher happy. Conquering fears together is one of the best ways to bond on a deep level and ensure the love lasts.
- Don’t be afraid to open up. Women want a man who isn’t afraid to let his guard down and let us see behind the curtain. Putting up walls is human but trusting us enough to show your vulnerable side shows that nothing is more important than us, and being able to put aside your ego to let us be there for you is the ultimate act of love.
- Always tackle conflicts head-on. Never go to bed angry and don’t be afraid to address problems that may come up in your relationship. No two people are perfect and throughout life there are going to be issues that have to be discussed. By choosing to work on problems together without placing blame, you’ll show us how much you respect us and that you value the relationship more than just being right.
- Laugh with us every single day. Even if you’re not funny, find ways to experience joy together. Develop a hobby, watch a crappy comedy TV show, or just let your silly sides out. Laughter is the best medicine and the best aphrodisiac, and a relationship full of laughter is a relationship full of love.
- Hold us when we break down. Even the strongest woman has her tipping point, and most men don’t stick around. Show us how much you love us by wrapping us up in your arms when we’re at our weakest and by refusing to let go even when we sob all over your shirt. Life is messy and life is hard—be there for us when we need to let it all out.
- Treat us better than we think we deserve. If you’ve landed an incredible woman, chances are you never want to let her go. You know we have the world at our fingertips and yet somehow, we chose you. Don’t let yourself take us for granted and you’ll make us as happy as we make you. If your actions show us every day how much we mean to you, they’ll say more than any words ever could.
