It’s not always easy to parse out what the person sitting across from you wants in a relationship.
Be an intuitive and empathetic listener.
This is truly the basis for many of the positive traits you’ll see on this list.
It also means picking up on details and remembering to bring them up later.
Be communicative and honest.
It should not be your partner’s responsibility to solve your emotional state like some mystery and vice versa.
(Learn more about how todevelop better communication skills here.)
Be respectful of other women.
Be mindful of how you speak about women in general.
Understand the nuances of consent.
No woman wants to date a man who makes her feel unsafe, hard stop.
So first and foremost: Understand the basics ofenthusiastic consent.
Value personal space.
When you enter a relationship, it might be tempted to let your personal life slide to the wayside.
And as you develop said relationship, your lives start to converge naturally anyway.
The line between alone time and time together starts to lean in the latter’s direction.
“Being partners doesn’t mean you have toor even shoulddo everything together.
Needing space does not necessarily mean your relationship is doomed.
(Read more about the balancebetween together and alone timehere.)
Be affectionate.
There are many ways to show your loveand people respond to signals of affection differently.
These skills are part of what sustains the relationship in the harder seasons.”
One of the best traits a man can develop in himself as he dates different women is variety.
But having a strong, diverse foundation of showing affection is a good place to start.
It’s also a great way to keep the relationship interesting long term.
Be generous.
Like listening, generosity is a value that acts as an underlying current in many other traits.
“Generosity is important in every part of a relationship.
(Learn in relationships here.)
Have emotional intimacy with others.
On that note: A significant other is not a therapist.
This emotional integrity is a vital way to end up craftingemotional intimacy with your partnerin the long run.
Be open to being wrong.
Defensiveness is a reaction that is deeply human.
(If you find yourself consistently stringing with being defensive, read more here.)
