Keys to a Happy Relationship

Today is Valentine's Day, or as I like to call it Love Day, and it is the first day of my blogging on Love & Relationships for Patch.  

I began researching love 40 years ago, and it has been an extraordinary adventure into understanding matters of the heart. I also published 7 Keys to Love - Opening Love's Door to Joy & Well-being and continue to seek to understand how to create sustainable healthy, loving relationships.

Love is so beautiful when two people respect, honor, cherish and adore each other. This is not easy, and requires compassionate communication, which I teach, along with other Love Skills, in coaching and workshops in people's homes and libraries. 

When a relationship is new, people are exploring each other and enjoy each other. Then, differences and difficulties of life appear, and the relationship can become strained.

Life and love challenges may include the behavior of children, child rearing practices, not having enough money, religious perspectives, relationship with family and friends, use of potentially addictive substances and processes, living location, living arrangements, and many more.

At this point of "difficulties and differences" in a relationship, only open, loving, flowing, respectful communication can help the relationship survive and thrive.

This kind of communication is not something we are born with. Most people have limited interpersonal communications skills, resulting in hiding, pretending and withholding, or painful aggressive conflict.

There may be attachment injuries from the past leading to conflict avoidance and self-disclosure avoidance strategies playing out in the present.  One or both people may unknowingly shut-down emotionally.   

I coach people, and teach skills in open, flowing, creative, compassionate dialog and conversation that can deepen understanding, leading to the blossoming of greater love and sweetness in a couple. Many people check-out emotionally, or bail-out completely, prior to reaching this most wonderful experience of sweetness.

I call this sweetness The Beloved Relationship.

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Most people in our world are not in a healthy, loving, intimate relationship. So today, Love Day, is a good opportunity for us all to share love with another we are with in our family, community, work or at school.

By saying a kind word to cheer-up someone, or to motivate them to do well, by smiling at someone, and by being kind and loving to yourself with inner-love, compassion and kindness, you are bringing more love to the world. Healthy Self-Love is Chapter 1 in my book 7 Keys to Love.     

I will be sharing more in Patch in each blog on "True Love & Healthy, Loving Relationships" through acquiring love skills.

Please stop by here and add comments, share from your heart, send these articles in links to friends who need more love, and ask questions I can answer in future blogs about life’s most important topic – written about in songs, plays, novels and movies – something most people want more of… Love.

Have a sweet and loving day, with yourself and others.

Sandy Hinden

P.S.  In the Comments ... add great quotes on love from your favorite love song, book, play or movie... here's one of mine...

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone."
Lyrics by Hal David
Music by Burt Bacharach