You may have read books like the “The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success” by Deepak Chopra, or “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey, or “The 10 Keys to Personal Power” by Brian Tracy.

loveIncluded here is The Checklist of 15 Questions To Answer YES to for Cultivating a Healthy and Fulfilling Relationship.

For anyone who has had the courage to enter into and the stamina to maintain a deep, committed relationship, you know that they’re not for the faint of heart. For as profoundly deep, passionate and immensely fulfilling as they can be, they are also the most multifaceted and at times challenging things we will encounter in our lives.

Those who feel that their “picker” is not as finely honed as they would like, as well as those who would simply like to feel more fulfillment in their relationships can use this checklist. Whether you’re already in a committed relationship, or contemplating one, I invite you to look at this checklist along the way to see which questions are answered with a Yes, and which receive a No.

One should know that this list is based on the following assumptions: That both participants –

  • have the same or complimentary definitions of love and what committed relationships are,
  • are able to love and allow love in, and
  • have a firm grasp on how to, and the courage to, work on their own personal issues.

These may seem a given for many, but you would be surprised how often people slip up here. Some assume that others feel love as they do and that others are open to loving and being loved as they are. Those of you who have survived a “if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger” relationship will attest that these are not a given.

So, how do you find out if someone’s definition of love matches closely to yours? How do you know if their definition of a committed relationship is complimentary to yours? How do you know if they are truly open to loving and being loved? By patiently living into these questions, and taking time to get to know your potential partner. Remember, generally speaking, one does not begin to know someone until they have been consciously in a relationship for six months, to get to know someone well, about a year.

As far as working through personal issues, if one is not have the courage, knowledge and a support system to work through personal issues, one is likely to get tripped up or stuck. These issues will often affect the relationship in some manner in time.

 The Checklist of 15 Questions to Answer YES to for a Healthy and Fulfilling Relationship:

  1. Are we both interested, willing, attainable and wholly emotionally available?  *More clarification below
  2. Do we have similar and compatible levels of consciousness, intelligence and spirituality, and comparable appetites for personal growth?  *More clarification below
  3. Are we taking time to get to know each other, and us?
  4. Are we from the same tribe? *More clarification below
  5. Do we meet each other in ways that are fulfilling and nurturing?  *More clarification below
  6. Do we share with each other wholeheartedly and with authentically?
  7. Are we willing and excited to include each other in our respective lives (family/friends/work)?
  8. Do we have honest and effortless communication?  *More clarification below
  9. Is our sexing not only hot, but even more importantly intimate?  *More clarification below
  10. Do we respect each other?
  11. Are we inspired by each other?
  12. Are we passionate about spending quality time together?
  13. Are our visions for, and are our individual commitments to, our relationship in alignment?
  14. Are our long-term visions and life goals congruous?
  15. Are we both healthy, happy and fulfilled being in relationship together?

Bonus: Are we both committed to a vision, cause, organization that’s “larger” than the two of us?

Or, do these questions feel more familiar?

  • Am I rushing forward to make him/her the one?
  • Am I comparing him/her to my “list” of what my “perfect” mate would look like?
  • Am I projecting that he/she is available and has the qualities I desire?
  • Is there a gap between what I am projecting and what is actually being presented?
  • Am I justifying him/her or us to my friends?
  • Am I feeling for him/her?
  • Am I compensating for what is missing in the relationship?
  • Am I frustrated by his/her circumstances?
  • Am I sacrificing my health, happiness and well-being to be with him/her? Or, is the relationship leaving me feeling depleted?

If while in relationship either of you is not feeling fulfilled, at least one of 15 Questions is likely not being answered with a Yes. For those questions that have been answered a No to, it’s time to get to work. It is a well-known fact that if each partner takes 100% responsibility for the relationship’s success, the relationship will have a greater chance of succeeding.

 

Here is further clarification on some of the 15 questions above.

1.  Interested (to discover, and keep discovering, who he/she is), Willing (to have another point of view other than your own), Attainable (there’s no other person or thing hinders either of you from being in relationship with each other) and wholly Emotionally Available (you have healed past drama and trauma, and you’re absolutely ready and available to love and be loved)?

If all elements of this question is answered with an equivocal YES, then relationships have a greater chance of succeeding. If any element of this question is answered with a No, I recommend reconsidering the relationship.

2.  If partners don’t have similar levels of consciousness, intelligence and spirituality, then they will likely have to work harder at having a deep relationship. I am not saying it’s impossible, just more challenging…unless depth is not something you are looking for.

4.  “Tribe” – the group, and the qualities that the group embodies, where you are most comfortable being your self and where you feel most inspired and supported.

5.  “Meet” – as in to see clearly inside your mate, and interact and respond to him/her in ways that are enlivening.

8.  There are many books written and seminars given on effective communication and how males communicate differently than woman. If you haven’t explored this arena, I highly recommend that you do, especially if this question was answered with a No.

9.  Important Notes on Chemistry:

Some of you will ask, “What about chemistry?” Or you may find yourselves saying, “I met someone I feel real chemistry with.” “I feel as if they are my soul mate.” “Our sexing is so powerful it must mean we are meant to be together.” “It feels so intense with this person, it must be love.” Listen up! Yes, you may feel these things, and yes, the feelings are real, but have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t believe everything you think.” Well, I would also say, don’t believe everything you feel…at least not until you get to know your partner.

Remember these two things:

1.  Chemistry is memory.

2.  Be clear on the difference between intensity and intimacy.

Pheromones play into the what generates attraction, but if one feels chemistry, it is usually means one or two things: 1) who they are reminds you (or is the antithesis) of a patriarch/matriarch in your life, and/or 2) You have known them before and are “remembering” that you have unfinished business to continue or complete. This  holds truth if you believe in the past life theory. If you do, or if you don’t jibe with past lives, know that strong feelings right off the bat may or may not indicate the possibility of a successful relationship. Acknowledge and appreciate the familiar feelings, and still use the checklist to discover the highest possibility for your relationship.

Many confuse intensity and intimacy. They assume that if it feels intense, it must be good and right. Not necessarily! Feeling intense may be the result of many things. It could be that you have chemistry (see #1); it may be that you want something so much that you believe he/she has what it takes to create a meaningful relationship; it may be that there is a potent lesson (pleasurable or challenging) to be learned and your intuitive self is attempting to guide you to a situation that will help you lean it. It could be all of the above.

Intimacy is the doorway to a fulfilling relationship. I define intimacy as: making one’s self utterly visible and available to another; living in the invitation for your partner to relate with you in the same fashion; to be splayed open. Many avoid this because it can be scary to live there, especially early on in a relationship. Though make no mistake, if you and your partner can meet each other in this way, the sensorial intensity that many incessantly seek will pale in comparison to the fulfillment and depth derived of your true intimacy. And trust me, intimacy cultivates plenty of sensorial intensity…but that’s another story for another blog entry.

There are many books and seminars on how to create and sustain intimacy, and in time I will add one to the mix. If you don’t know how intimacy is achieved, I highly recommend that you find a teacher or method that will open the door for you. I know of many, and depending on where you’re starting from, I might be able to point you in a direction. Just jot me a note.

Well, this is it for now. May you have relationships that surpass your wildest dreams and deepest desires!

Article author:  Donna M Thomas

Article source:  The Checklist of 15 Questions to Answer Yes to For a Healthy Relationship

My intention with Pebbles for Thoughts, is to inspire, empower and uplift, one post at a time.