How to Live Happily Forever

Love the whole person of the other half, even the bad sides. When you’re committed to someone, you have to accept their flaws as well as their great points. It can be frustrating when your partner doesn’t know how to fit into parties, or they don’t know how to fry eggs, but when it comes to love, don’t expect to change them. Maybe they will change and maybe not. But if your expectations don’t match reality, it’s you who will be disappointed.

• Trying to change your lover will lead to more disagreements. You might hurt their ego.
• Realize that: love is accepting the person for who you are and they will accept you for who you are. Instead of focusing on the things you want them to change, you should be grateful for finding someone who accepts the “bad” side of you.

Let go of fairy fantasies. Many scientific studies show that people who believe in ‘Cinderella’ romance will have difficulty accepting the truth about love. ^[1] Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Happiness is not a destination, it is a journey.” If you want to find someone who meets your utopian requirements, chances are you’ll be very disappointed. Talk to your partner about what makes you happy, and find out what makes them happy, too.

• Realize that: fairy-tale versions of love are only found in movies, they do not reflect reality. After a brilliant wedding will be stressful and difficult days. That is real life.
• Love can be so magical. But in reality, they do not exist solely on the basis of miracles but also on hard work, especially after the first few years.

Let’s keep the love passionate with surprises for each other. The initial flame of passion may wane a bit after a few years of washing the dishes together, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely extinguished. Studies show that surprising your partner by creating new hobbies and experimenting with new things helps keep each other interesting. When the two of you surprise each other, you will feel the same jitters in your stomach as when you first met. ^[2]

• The usual dating activities are fine, but you should try new things as well.
• Don’t feel sad knowing that the initial fascination doesn’t last forever. Many couples have found that they appreciate the deep trust and companionship of their partner after several years of ups and downs, and that’s more than the joy of a first kiss.

Always be ready to make efforts to strengthen love. Every couple will go through hardships such as job loss, illness, bereavement, parenting and financial difficulties. All of those situations will put a strain on love. When encountering such obstacles, try to overcome them, and thanks to that, the two of you will be stronger than ever. Even then, you completely disagree with your lover, but don’t let the love and respect you have for them fade away.

• Research shows that couples who have a habit of saying offensive words when arguing will cause permanent damage to the relationship. ^[3]
• Instead, argue in good faith; Let’s focus on talking about the issues at hand instead of lashing out at each other’s abilities or intelligence.

Try to get along with each other. This is quite difficult, because no relationship is perfect, and you have to always put in the effort. You can completely improve a relationship instead of finding a new lover. It is difficult to take an objective view of private matters. Use some of the following criteria to assess how compatible you two are:

• Trust: It can be difficult if you don’t share some basic values. That’s not to say that people with different beliefs can’t live happily together, but often they will have to work harder than others.
• Politics: Political beliefs are deeply core values, so differences in political views will reveal differences in how you see the world.
• Social: If your other half likes to go out every night and you just like to cuddle books at home, it will be difficult for the two of you to find common interests to maintain love.
• Finances: Up to half of divorces stem from financial disagreements. If one person is working hard to become a billionaire, and the other just needs a small house and likes to take time for a walk, that could be a source of conflict later on.

Don’t live forever in the past. People often say things like, “We don’t talk like we used to,” or “He doesn’t look like the man I married.” In a long-term relationship, you need to be ready for the other person’s growth. We all grow up in life, and you can’t expect someone to behave the same way a decade ago. Similarly, they can no longer look like they did a decade ago. Instead of focusing on what you’ve done together in the past, see who you are now, and focus on what you two will do together in the future.

Don’t depend on anyone for happiness. Love can make us happier, but it can also become a source of sadness. You can still be happy being single. Don’t think that you just have to find the prince or princess of your life to live a happy life, especially when you feel that something is wrong with your love life.