I like to think of commitment in levels. You can commit to dinner with your date. You can commit to only seeing that one person. You can commit to “spending the rest of your life with someone.” But I’d like to think there’s at least one more. It’s when you’re able to say, “things aren’t good right now, but I’m still in this until the end.” For this, I believe you need to reflect regularly on what made you want to commit in the first place. Here’s what we’ve come up with:
1) We were ready to commit when we became a team
Deborah and I work together, and when we got together, we instantly became more tactile about who does what job.
2) We knew the other person was serious
If you feel like the person you’re seeing has eyes on other people, your gut instincts might be right. Quite frankly, if you’re not made to feel like one in a million, he or she doesn’t deserve you.
“Fair enough,” you might say, “I’m a very ‘commitment-type’ person, and I give it my all in relationships,” but if you’re not getting it back, then it’s only one sided. A committed relationship is a two-way street, and you have to get back what you’re investing. There are a lot of people looking for the amount of devotion that you’re willing to give. Move on, and find one of them.
3) We always met halfway
Imagine you’re kissing your significant other for the first time. He goes in 25%, she goes in 25%, then he goes another 20%, and she goes another 20%. You’re probably wondering where the last 10% is. That’s what we call suspense. Ideally, you want to not even know who kissed who first, because you both wanted it equally.
Of course, this isn’t just about kissing, but rather it’s a representation of the whole relationship. Very often, you hear stories of people saying, “I do this, this, and this for my partner, but I’m just not getting it back.” Don’t think that you putting in more work is going to make him or her feel obligated to return the favor. If anything, that person is taking you for granted and will continue to stay the same. Doing too much makes you undesirable, because there’s no chase. Likewise, doing too much makes the other person comfortable right where they are.
4) We made plans to interact with the most important people in each other’s lives
If you’re committed to someone, and they’re just as committed to you, the two of you will literally merge your lives together. The natural consequence of that is forming relationships with the other person’s friends and family. You have to realize that your relationship cannot exist inside of a test tube, where you have no mutual contact to the outside world. If he’s serious about you, he’ll want to meet your family. If she wants a long term relationship, she’ll get into deep conversations about how her friends shaped who she is.
5) We were still happy with each other at a distance
Pay close attention to how your partner or crush acts when not in direct contact with you. How does he treat other people while making his way around that party? How does she act when dinner doesn’t go the way she thought it would? Does he respect everyone like you thought? Is she still fun and lively like the person you know and love?
Deborah and I knew we were ready for commitment, because we saw each other in a million different circumstances, and we liked what we saw…most of the time.
6) We talked about what the future held
How do you and your partner talk about the future together? Is it vague and hopeful or is does it come with a specific plan?
By now, you should know what you want. And if you know what you want, your significant other knows what he or she wants. Communicate it to each other and get specific. No need to be shy, because the longer the two of you go with competing views of your own future, the more of your own time you’re wasting.
Deborah and I made this easier using a vision board. While the vision board didn’t bring about any real change by itself, it helped us get clear about how we saw ourselves in the future, and it forced the conversation about how we would make it happen together.
Have you made a lifelong commitment to a partner? How did you know when you were ready? Are you thinking about committing? Let us know in the comments below!
Life, business, and travel partners Deborah & Christian share a communal love story with the aim of spreading Love and encouraging people to be their true self in the journey of Love and Life. The journey starts with you!
