1. Can you be open and honest with your partner without fear of
rejection?
Are you able to be yourself? Or do you hide your weaknesses and try
only to
show your strengths? When you truly love another, you don't
concern
yourself
with impressing your beloved. Rather, you are more interested in
serving
your lover and you know that is easier to do when you are
honest.
2. Can you accept the ways in which your partner is different from
you?
Infatuation is self-centered, thinking primarily of how the other
person
makes you feel. With infatuation, you see the other person
through
"rose-colored glasses." But real love is rooted in reality and
acknowledges
the imperfections of another without judgment. It has a deep
respect for
the
other's individuality. When you truly love another, you want to
know what
makes that person tick, why they do what they do, why they think
what they
think. With love, faults and weaknesses of the other person are
recognized
and accepted.
3. Are you able and willing to discuss your differences with your
partner?
If you are your own person with your own thoughts, you will
experience
differences. Can you communicate about your disagreements lovingly?
Can you
"fight fair?" Love can step out of its comfort zone in order to
address the
differences in a relationship without harming it. Some of us have
been
taught that if you love someone you'll never disagree, never be
angry or
argue. Real love encompasses all the emotions. The opposite of love
is not
hate. It is indifference. And it's possible to be angry with, and
even hate
someone that you love. A healthy love relationship will allow you
to
express
anger.
4. Do you care about the other person's, dreams goals and plans? Do
you
desire his or her success? To love is to be actively involved with
a
person's spiritual purpose. It is the choice to give support,
nurturing and
encouragement to your beloved's spiritual growth and attainment.
Real love
seeks what is best for others and makes us want to encourage them
to grow.
It considers the other person's happiness and well-being. With true
love,
your partner's well-being is just as important to you as your own
and you
take actions to nurture that sense of well-being.
5. Can you see yourself going through the mundane motions of life
and
growing old with your partner? Infatuation is attraction,
admiration,
adoration... and is mainly based on physical, or chemical
connection, while
real love is based on spiritual connection - a common
spiritual
understanding and shared purpose. It wouldn't matter if your lover
lost a
leg, gained 300 lbs. or got burned in a fire. With true love, you
are
attracted to much more than just the physical. You are attracted to
the
soul
of the person. You want to see into your beloved's heart as much as
you
want
to touch him or her physically.
