Valentine's Day is a few days away.

And whether you like the holiday or not, this time of year brings us all a reminder that love & relationships are something that connect us all as human beings.

In my men's group, one of the most talked about topics every week is either the relationships that are working, or the one's that are failing or have failed.

I know it is much the same for women because I have insider information from my wife. :)

The thing is, much like a lot of other things, society sets us up to fail in our relationships.

The media focuses on the glamour of the wedding day, but not what happens after.

It shows us the good times, never the tough ones.

And the "good times" today are just a swipe away right?

Why stick out the tough times with one person, when you can go have a good time with as many as you want with just a few swipes?

The grass is always greener right?

WRONG.

The fundamental false truth that we are all sold is that love is like a fairytale.

It ain't.

In fact, from my experience, I knew I found love because of how I felt when the tough shit happened.

I fell in love with how Erin responded to the hard things that happen in life.

I fell in love with how we respond as a team to the worst days we are presented.

I fell in love with the process of falling in love, and maintaining this love, all with the person I want to spend the rest of my time on earth with.

To love may be a feeling.

But to stay IN LOVE, that is a daily choice.

And believe it or not, it starts with loving yourself!!!

Because if you cannot love yourself, you will not be able to fully stay in love with someone else.

Sadly, most people do not let their guard down enough to fully understand themselves, so how can I expect them to fully understand their partner?

Society has conditioned us.

I want to help change that conditioning!!!

And I do so by having discussions and conversations about it.

So if love and relationships is something you are interested in, I would ask you to listen to the conversation I had with my wife Erin on today's podcast episode.

THRIVEONLIFE Podcast Episode 137: Why People Struggle with Relationships & How to Become a Better Partner.

Listen On Apple Podcasts HERE

Listen on Spotify HERE

The key topics that we discussed were:

• The themes of why people struggle with relationships 
• How your expectations are hurting you
• Discussing their experience with marriage and why people struggle with the concept of it
• Settling for less than you deserve and dealing with the fear of being alone
• How to know if you want to spend your life with someone 
• Dependency and not finding your happiness solely from your partner
• Why knowing yourself and being self-aware is essential to a healthy relationship 
• The importance of knowing your partner’s past and upbringing to better support them 
• How to take ownership of your actions in your relationship + why you need to
• Changes that come with seeing the highs and lows of your partner 
• Finding alignment in your relationship
• Compromise + sacrifice

I know you will take some value from this episode if you listen. And I hope that you utilize some of it in your own life and relationships!

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. I am grateful that I have a partner who is willing to have vulnerable/hard conversations.