By Guest Blogger Juan Santos M.S., CRC, LPCA

When we are in love or in awe with another, there is often a part of us that wants more. There tends to be an essence within our soul that really strives to show the other person why we are with them and in the simplest way, why they have us.

Whether you are married or in a relationship, there are 3 things that you can do today to help make your relationship stronger.

Talk about love. Have you ever really sat down with your partner and explained in full detail what loves means to you? I’m sure that you have told your partner that you love them or that you have even gone above and beyond to explain that you love when they ________. Most people never really give themselves the opportunity to dig deep within and find what it is about the other person that they love and what it truly means for him/her to have love. Today, make your relationship stronger by answering the following questions.

• What does love mean to you?
• Where did you gain your understanding of love and how does it impact your relationship?
• What can you tell your partner about love in terms of accepting and receiving?

When we are in a relationship, we are in support of each other. This statement to some sounds quite simple. You may be thinking to yourself, “yes, I support my partner or yes, my partner supports me.” Again, push yourself to find the soul of the answer. You really want to identify the meaning of support for you. Not just the definition pulled from the dictionary, but how support impacts you in your life.

• What acts does your partner do to make you truly feel that they support you?
• What acts do you do to truly support your partner? (Ask your partner if the acts are accurate). You may have a learning opportunity.

Remember life will always continue ticking. People often place too much weight on external factors such as work, exercise or meetings and not enough on their relationship (which is an internal factor). Life continues to tick. Life will continue to go on even if you decide to not work late today. Life will continue to go on even if you decide to skip your workout. Life will continue to go even if you decide to hold off on meetings. Your relationship will not go on if you choose not to place weight upon it.

Give your partner time. Not a weekend. Not solely a date night. Give your partner time, each and every day of the week. You can start this in the simplest fashion. Ask your partner, “Do you feel that we are not giving our relationship sufficient time?” I’m sure that most of people can answer this one on their own.

Every relationship takes time, commitment and nurturing to grow and sustain. The one piece that holds everything together is the emotional connection that has been built within your relationship and your ability to maintain it.