For a relationship to succeed, there should be hard work, effort

You prepare for examinations, spend the whole night reading and take practice tests so you may score a good grade. You wake up early so that you can go to the gym and exercise in order to keep fit and stay healthy. All these require effort and just like anything else in your life, your relationship requires effort in order for it to work. Effort from all parties.

Relationships are hard work, which is probably one of the oldest statements in history. It is, however, extremely true. For a successful relationship and for your love to flourish, you need to put in a lot of effort. Effort in the way you care for each other, love each other.

You have to have an end goal for your relationship. What do you hope to ultimately receive from your union; happiness? Success? Friendship? Personally, I would advocate for all three. To reach an end goal, effort has to remain constant and consistent.

Communicate because this is the most important. Do not just say hello in passing. Make sure you speak about any and everything. Open all boundaries and borders and ensure that you are there for your partner in all situations.

Complement each other as much as you can, as often as you can. Make your partner feel like you feel lucky and blessed to have them in your life. Compliment them beyond their appearance, compliment them for their mind and all the things you appreciate about them.

As much as we might wish that every relationship ends up like a fairytale, the reality is that it may not turn out that way at all, but with plenty of effort, maintaining a long-lasting relationship is in the stars for you.

Go above and beyond your call of duty. Send them their favourite meal at work just because you can. Pick them up from the airport after a trip so that they do not have to wait or look for a cab. These small gestures will surely go a long way with your significant other.

Simply put, you cannot grow as a couple if you are not both putting in active effort to maintain your connection. It may sound like quite the daunting task but it is actually as simple as showing a genuine interest in your partner and in knowing and learning them inside and out.

Effort is equated to the desire or initiative to engage and the knowledge of that fact that shockingly or not that now that you are in a relationship it is not just about you anymore.

When you first start dating someone, it is natural to feel like you are trying hard to impress them. Especially compared to when you have settled into a long-term commitment.

All the little things you did at the beginning of your relationship to impress them do not have to disappear when you have gotten comfortable with each other.

Continue to date each other, even after you have settled into a relationship. Make time to go out on dates and continue to please and impress each other with ideas of what you should do.

It is important to make your partner feel seen, heard and appreciated and that comes about from all the effort you put into your relationship.

Compromise

Part of what makes a relationship work is a willingness to compromise and make sacrifices. While that all sounds reasonable in theory, in practice it can be really hard and can create friction. The key is to learn where you can bend to accommodate your partner.