Relationship advice tip 4: Healthy relationships are built on give and take

If you expect to get what you want 100%
of a time in a relationship, you are
setting yourself up for disappointment.
Healthy relationships are built on
compromise, and it takes work on each
person's part to make sure that there is
a reasonable exchange.
Recognize what's important to
your partner
Knowing what is truly important to your
partner can go a long way towards
building goodwill and an atmosphere of
compromise. On the flip side, it's also
important for your partner to recognize
your wants and for you to state them
clearly. Constantly compromising your
needs for others' will build resentment
and anger.
Don't make "winning" your goal
If you approach your partner with the
attitude that things have to be your way
or else, it will be difficult to reach a
compromise. Sometimes this attitude
comes from not having your needs met
while you were younger, or it could be
from years of accumulated resentment
building up in your current relationship.
It's all right to have strong convictions
about something, but your partner
deserves to be heard as well. You are
more likely to get your needs met if you
respect what your partner needs, and
compromise when you can.
Learn how to respectfully resolve
conflict
Conflict is inevitable in any relationship,
but to keep a relationship strong, both
people need to feel they've been heard.
The goal is not to win but to resolve the
conflict with respect and love.
Make sure you are fighting fair.
Don't attack someone directly; use
"I" statements to communicate how
you feel.
Don't drag old arguments into the
mix.
Keep the focus on the issue at hand,
and respect the other person.

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