Our lives basically revolve around relationships. You have your relationship with God, your spouse or special someone, your family, your friends, your relatives, your officemates and even with your pets just to name a few. We all work hard to maintain these relationships especially those we have with people who are very important in our lives. Regardless who of other person is in the relationship, it is very important for each and everyone to have a clear understanding of what should be in a relationship to make it last a lifetime.

It is but natural for us to have our differences with other people for we all have unique traits and individual personalities. Sometimes we can't help but have misunderstandings as we encounter problems along the way. Our differences and our dissimilar outlook often ruin a relationship if neither of the parties except any extra effort to understand the other or both parties are just too darn stubborn.

In a relationship trust and understanding are very important. As long as we trust the person and we know that he or she may be telling the truth there is no need for us to blow up the problem into a large scale one. Understanding is also very vital in every relationship. If each would only put an effort to understand how the other one feels, why he or she may have reacted in such a manner, why he or she may have gotten hurt by the words we may have said or why he or she may have acted that way then we could have been living in a harmonious world. You have to learn to give way for the other. Each and everyone should try to realize the value of the relationship and that it would be such a complete waste to just throw it all away.

It is very vital to listen in a relationship. Hear the other one out. Listen to how he or she feels. If we only listen before we open our mouths, we could have avoided conflicts and misunderstandings. In listening we hear the voices straight from the heart. In listening we feel how the other feels.

Learn to compromise and meet halfway. A relationship is not healthy if you are always the dominant one or you are always the submissive one. You should neither be the two. A relationship is a give and take partnership. Give what you would want to receive. As they say treat other people the way you want them to treat you.

Lastly, love should be the center of any relationship. As long as love is present you will always see the person beyond the imperfections that he or she may have.