“Love is a fire that burns all away,” Shakespeare wrote around Juliet’s time. In his play, this famous playwright presented a classic example of passion and love in action. It’s not so much the fire that burns; rather, it’s the fire that allows two people to journey together towards a greater goal.
Love encompasses an array of positive and powerful emotional and psychological states, from a purest virtue or universal good habit, to the most primal emotional feeling, the greatest joy. All love is, fundamentally, a form of emotional bonding that empowering two people to go forward toward a common goal. While love between family members or friends can be expressed with the same gusto as that shown in romantic comedies, between two strangers or co-workers, love takes on an altogether different intensity. This intense nature of love required that both parties involved maintaining a clear sense of disparity and detachment in order to effectively convey their love.
The core elements of love are passion and trust. Passion is the burning desire felt by two lovers to spend every moment with one another. Trust is the idea that the relationship is worthy of its own passion, that it can withstand the test of time, that it won’t fade due to changing priorities. Both passion and trust are necessary for any meaningful relationship. But passion alone, without trust or a genuine sense of assurance that the relationship will endure, can quickly fizzle out into mere annoyance, no matter how deeply held the feelings may be.
Virtually all people strive to find the right partner, the right amount of love, and the right timing for romance. For some, love comes easily and effortlessly while others have a never-ending search. The key to finding true love lies in developing the right relationship skills. The art of dating begins with self-awareness and an understanding that dating requires patience and understanding. When dating does become a possibility, however, it’s important to remember to approach love more as a challenge and less as an event.
The best relationship skill of all is to avoid perfectionism. Perfectionists think that by being perfect, they’ll achieve perfectionism, which, in turn, will make them love perfectly. The opposite, however, is true. The only way to love perfectly is to embrace imperfection with appreciation.
The next step in this quest for love is to learn not to chase your dreams. People live life for the purpose of love and building a family, friends, and community are pivotal goals in any romantic’s life. While these goals are essential, there’s only so much you can do in the short term. In general, aim for the long-term, and the results will amaze you.