I think having rules with a relationship is very important. I’m not saying that you have rules for your girlfriend and what she should be doing. I think there are specific rules that you need to set for yourself on what you expect from the relationship. Also you need rules to help you with those tough decisions that will inevitably come your way. It’s hard to make smart choices when you’re in “love”.
Never Sacrifice Yourself
I mean sacrifice yourself in a larger sense. This is a big rule for me and I think it is important to have. I can best explain this by giving an example. Let’s say you’re in University and you meet this really great girl that you develop a relationship with. This is your last year of University and you’ve applied to graduate school. The best graduate program in the country has accepted you in. You’ll be working on things you’ve always been excited about, but you have to travel to the other side of the country.
What do you do? It amazes me how many guys will just go to graduate school at their current University because they want to stay with their girlfriend. It might seem nice, noble and sweet, but I just can’t do it.
If someone truly loves you and wants to see the best for you, than your girlfriend should support you going. Sacrificing a major opportunity for yourself is just wrong. The sad part is that if you do sacrifice, you’ll inevitably resent her for it and your relationship will turn sour.
I know it sounds cold, but it’s just reality.
No Coworkers
Do not get into relationships with people that are going to be around you if you were to break up. The odds of having a mutual breakup is slim and someone is probably going to be hurt. It just makes things awkward and weird.
No Crap or Undeserved Drama
This is another one of my special rules. There are some people that just seem to want attention, no matter what it is. This is something that needs to be nipped in the butt early in a relationship or they’ll learn it as an acceptable form of behavior.
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I’d like to point out that the rules here are applicable for both men and women. If you’re a female, you can apply these too. I wouldn’t expect a woman to sacrifice a great opportunity for a relationship. I’d hope you’d be in a relationship with someone that would support you doing that.
