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Assuming you and your partner have successfully transited the exploration stage and decided to go forward, you then enter the "make or break" phase: Evaluation. You weigh the pros and cons of your relationship and assess whether it is worth your continued investment. People choose partners based on something changeable or transitory - looks, money, job, sexual prowess - only to find the relationship collapse the moment one of those features disappears. You need to bear in mind that evaluating your partner on transitory features can be dangerous… Maybe you have made a list of qualities you would like your partner to have. Now is the time to review that list to see how close your potential partner comes to what you are looking for. If you have no such list, take an objective look at your partner and your relationship, and assess what works for you, what doesn't, and what you can and cannot live with. Either way, the process entails observing, evaluating and choosing whether to continue the relationship or abandon it. It is tempting to forget all about what you want in a guy if you have to abandon your criteria when you are faced with ending your new relationship. But try and distance yourself from things and view them dispassionately. It is easier said than done, I'll admit. However, the truer you are to yourself and your requirements, the happier you will be in the long run. A little denial in the present can cause a lot of pain in the future. Also, you need to know that evaluation is a process that has no right answers. The objective is to create as much certainty as possible in your head, your heart, and your gut in order to be confident and comfortable with whatever you choose. Follow your gut. Your intuition. Your instinct. It never lets you down.
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