In a relationship compromise is always key. In order for peaceful coexistence to take place, you must always be willing to give up certain aspects of your life. You must always express a willingness to adapt and to adjust; a willingness to make certain sacrifices in order to accommodate another human being in your world. And that’s not always easy; but there are people out there for you who are definitely worth making sacrifices for. But given that, you should be very careful because the converse is also true. There are also certain people who just aren’t worth giving up a few essential things in your life for.
You are a strong and independent person who is living your own life the way that you want to live it. But you have to acknowledge the need to make certain adjustments if you’re going to get serious about being in a relationship with someone else. You can’t afford to be selfish anymore. You can’t just be thinking about yourself. However, that doesn’t mean that you should be giving up your sense of self entirely – especially not for someone who hasn’t proven to be worthy of you and your efforts.
So, don’t be so quick to give up certain aspects of your life for someone who hasn’t proven his worth. He must put in the effort himself to be worthy of you. He must show you that he’s the type of guy who is worth taking a chance on. He must pass your tests and exceed your expectations if you’re going to entertain the idea of being with him and making adjustments in your life for him. But until then, these are a few essential things about your life that you should never have to give up:
1. Your ownership of your time.
You still get to dictate how you spend your time. Just because you are dating someone doesn’t mean that they get to plot out your schedule for you. You both need to discuss ways in which you can accommodate time for one another in a productive and efficient manner where no one is cheated.
2. Your need to take care of yourself.
Self-care should always be a priority for you whether you are in a relationship or not. Just because you are trying to get closer to another person doesn’t mean that you should have to completely neglect taking care of yourself. Remember, at the end of the day, the only person in the world you can really rely on to look after you is yourself. You need to have your own back.
3. Your independence in the relationship.
Independence is something that you should never have to give up in any relationship that you’re in. You should never have to cease being who you are just because you want to make things work with another person. You shouldn’t have to give up the things that you are most passionate about. You shouldn’t have to give up your hobbies and interests. You shouldn’t have to give up your freedom to go and do whatever you want to do.
Jealousy can be a really big issues in a lot of relationship – and that’s understandable. But you should never have to give up your existing friendships for the sake of a possible future relationship. You don’t have to stop hanging out with your friends in favor of the person that you’re in a relationship with. Having platonic relationships and a romantic relationship doesn’t have to mutually exclusive.
5. Your need for sleep and recreation.
Never give up sleep and rest. Yes, you are going to have to put a lot of time and effort into making a relationship work; and you’re going to have to put even more time and effort into balancing the other aspects of your life. But be careful to not burn yourself out. You shouldn’t have to live life like a robot that doesn’t need to rest.
6. Your sense of personal privacy.
You are still entitled to your privacy even when you’re in a relationship. Yes, you can opt to reveal the most intimate aspects of your life bit by bit to someone you’re getting closer to. But you should never feel obliged to be so open all at once.
7. Your happiness.
Happiness is something that you should NEVER give up under ANY circumstances. The moment that you give up your happiness for a relationship, you’ve already lost the point of it all.
8. Your goals and dreams.
Granted, your goals and dreams may change along the way as you grow more and more into the person you’re really meant to be. But you shouldn’t be so willing to drop all of your goals and dreams for a guy you’re just meeting. Try to see if there’s a way for the both of you to reconcile the plans of your relationship with your own individual plans so that neither of you have to really give up your biggest ambitions.
