Maybe, hopefully, this will become the 1st sticky in this section If a man/woman wants you, nothing can keep him/her away. If he/she doesn't want you, nothing can make him/her stay. Stop making excuses for a man/woman and his/her behavior. Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache. Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be. Slower is better. Never live your life for a man/woman before you find what makes you truly happy. If a relationship ends because the man/woman was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends". A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend. Don't settle. If you feel like he/she is stringing you along, then he/she probably is. Don't stay because you think "it will get better." You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better. The only person you can control in a relationship is you. Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different men. He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any differently? Always have your own set of friends separate from his/hers. Maintain boundaries in how a guy/gal treats you. If something bothers you, speak up. Never let a man/woman know everything. He/She will use it against you later. You cannot change a man/woman's behavior. Change comes from within. Don't EVER make him/her feel that he/she is more important than you are... even if he/she has more education or in a better job. Do not make him/her into a quasi-god. They're just human, nothing more, nothing less. Never let a man/woman define who you are. Never borrow someone else's man/woman. If he/she cheated with you, he'll/she'll cheat on you. A man/woman will only treat you the way you ALLOW him/her to treat you. All men are NOT dogs. All women are NOT bitches. You should not be the one doing all the bending...compromise is two way street. You need time to heal between relationships...there is nothing cute about baggage... deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship. You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you... a relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals. Look for someone complimentary, not supplementary. Dating is fun...even if he/she doesn't turn out to be Mr/Ms. Right. Make him/her miss you sometimes...when a man/woman always know where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he/she takes it for granted. Never move into his/her mother's house. Never co-sign for a man/woman. Don't fully commit to a man/woman who doesn't give you everything that you need. Keep him/her in your radar but get to know others. Never try to make it work AFTER the relationship has ended. Trying to make it work is when you're still in the relationship. They want you back cause of comfort. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. When trying to "make a relationship work" remember, never to look at how much time has already been invested, because the time invested has not worked. Learn the basics of Business and know when to cut your loses and move on.
While all of this is very true, it's all things that people need to learn for themselves before they will take any notice of it. + rep.
Great post. Its very easy to be blinded by feelings and blur the line between whats right and wrong in a relationship.
I'm 20 and I still feel to young for all of this "committing" nonsense But good advice man Im sure it will help some people.
Good stuff, unfortunately we seem to make those mistakes before we avoid them, that's life though, I guess.