So many of us are looking for love. But many of us also don’t want to waste our time on relationships that aren’t going to be beneficial for us in the long run. When it comes down to it, relationships require a lot of emotional investment, time, and effort, so we don’t want to put all of this on a plate for anyone. No matter what stage you’re at in a relationship – whether you’ve been on a couple of dates or you’re in a long term relationship, it’s of the utmost importance that you really focus on how things are progressing between the two of you. When it comes down to it, relationships and their dynamic can change at any point, so you need to ensure it’s positive and mutually beneficial at all times. Here are a few areas you can focus on to determine whether your relationship has good potential and is progressing in the right direction!

Life Goals

First things first, it’s a good idea to determine whether you and your partner have the same life goals. This is better determined sooner rather than later, but so many people ignore it until later on. It needs to be confronted at some point or another, so sooner is better than later. No matter how good a bond you have with someone, it’s not going to work if you both want completely different things out of life. You’ll simply end up feeling like you’re holding each other back or preventing each others’ happiness, causing feelings of bitterness and even resentment. Realistically, you both need to agree that you both want your relationship to progress at the same speed, you both need to agree on whether you want children or not, you both need to agree whether you want to marry or not and you need to be happy living in the same place. Otherwise, things can get pretty difficult down the line.

Red Flags

It’s important to keep an eye out for red flags at any point in a relationship. A red flag is essentially any kind of behavior that is inappropriate or unacceptable. It can start small but be reflective of future further problems that are worse. Small issues may be able to be overcome. But some actions are not deserving of second chances and will likely escalate to dangerous levels. One such example is violence. If your partner is ever violent towards you, you need to take it extremely seriously. Get in touch with a domestic violence attorney immediately to leave the situation safely.

A Consistent Good BondsSometimes, we’ll have a great bond with someone, but it will fizzle out. This is fine. But you need to recognize and end when it comes about rather than dragging things out. If your partner consistently supports you, makes you feel good and you have ongoing conversation and entertainment from one another, they could be one!

When it comes down to it, only you know your relationship inside out, so only you can determine whether the partner you’re with could be the one or not. But hopefully, the above information will help!