9 Signs You’re Ready For A Truly Loving Relationship

Here are nine signs you're ready for lasting, mature love:

There's a reason people use the health of their plants or pets to gauge how capable they are of having a stable, healthy relationship. Like any animate thing, you have to give your relationship time, attention, and love for it to thrive. If you neglect it, it will wither. If you think a good relationship is something that doesn't require effort from you, you’ll be chronically dissatisfied.

When you’re in a relationship with someone else, you have to begin to consider their needs as equally important to your own. If you can do this, you're in a position to be a great partner.

You realize that when conflicts and challenges come up in the relationship, it’s not necessarily a sign to leave. Rather, you see it as a sign that communication and effort are required, from you and from your partner.

You realize that you are whole and complete within yourself. You see having a partner as something that enriches your life rather than something you need in order to be happy. If you think you need someone else to be happy, paradoxically, you will never be satisfied with the relationship. Wholeness comes from within. You want to invite someone else into your life to learn, grow, and become more emotionally intimate with another.

You’re ready and willing to accept another person’s quirks, annoying habits, and interests that you may not care so much about. You know and understand that the two of you are not going to always have the same views and opinions. You're prepared to agree to disagree.

You’re aware that a lack of communication is the kiss of death to a relationship. You’re able to openly communicate your own needs, desires, thoughts, and feelings to a partner and you’re open to hearing your partner’s as well. You’re comfortable getting uncomfortable in order to communicate those vulnerable parts of yourself a partner needs to know.

His being much less tidy than you are will probably never change, and if you try to change him, it will breed resentment. You also understand that he may never be quite as romantic as you wish he were, and that doesn't mean he loves you any less.

You stopped caring if he's over 6 feet tall, makes a certain amount of money, or loves classical guitar. You know that relying on these external factors to identify a viable mate actually often keeps us from finding deeply meaningful and loving relationships.

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What do you still need to work on? Where have you hit the mark? Share your struggles and successes in the comments below.