Love relationships are not what they're cracked up to be. They take real effort -- things like: admiration, commitment, dedication, devotion, forgiveness, encouragement, strength, inspiration, motivation, understanding, compassion, hope, desire, steadfastness, and so much more. What people don't realize (when they enter relationships) is love, though a beautiful thing, takes honest-to-goodness work -- on both ends.

If one can imagine two halves of an element - one side cannot function properly without other; thus, it takes two halves to form a whole system of energy. A good example of what can transpire (in scientific terms), is splitting of an atom. So long as neutrons are coupled with protons, atom is complementary...peaceful. In other words, two halves make a harmonious whole. When separated, atom becomes volatile, explosive and lethal. It is this combination that acts in accordance to each other. This analogy is a perfect example of what love relationships are supposed to accomplish. (1 person + 1 person = 1 Whole.) Two persons, in love, enter into a "whole" relationship.

What is often misconstrued is how effectively two individuals are driven to work together. The initial notion is that, in a love relationship, each is to supply 50% to achieve 100%. This assumption could not be further from truth. In love relationships, individual partners must contribute one-hundred percent to one another. There is no 50/50, 70/30, 0/100...only 100/100.

If we think in terms of jobs or school tests -- when we give only 50 percent, then we're obviously failing miserably at our job or in school. If we give 70 percent, we're just holding our heads above water, but we're not truly happy. But if both partners give 100 percent, they're passing with flying colors...they find peaceful contentment and can reap rewards of what a love relationship is supposed to be. Any goal, even in love, can be reached when we commit ourselves to giving our all.

Solid relationships take hard work, not just in beginning, but throughout your entire life together. Building a solid, long-term relationship also means making a few sacrifices along way. Ask yourself what is most important to you. If your relationship with your lady is most important thing...then you may have to give up certain other aspects of your life to maintain that relationship and keep it on solid ground.

If you've been "going out with guys" for a few beers after work on Friday evenings and have no real intention of giving up your night out...I'll be quite frank with you. It's going to take a very, very special woman who will put up with that for long. She may tell you in beginning she doesn't mind, and if you are home at a reasonable hour, you might just be able to pull it off and keep her happy as well. But don't count on it.

It may all be very innocent in your mind and you can protest profusely, "But I'm just out with guys. It's not like I'm being unfaithful to her or anything." But you are, at least in her mind...in subtle ways male brain usually cannot understand.

We all know that one beer sometimes leads to another and to another and to another. If you can limit yourself and return home to your lady early in evening, perhaps you will never have any problems with her over your "night out with guys" ritual.

But sooner or later, time may come when, before you know it, it's midnight and your lady has been home alone all night long. How long would you stay at home alone every Friday night waiting on her if she was one out with her friends? Not for long, I'll bet. So ask yourself, is it really fair of you to expect her to sit at home alone while you're out on town without her? Think about that and be honest with yourself. What would you be thinking and feeling if tables were turned? More importantly, what would you do about it?

What do guys do when they're out together? Talk about sports? Maybe. But they look at girls too, right? You may not even talk to another woman while you're out with your male friends. You may not even come within ten feet of another woman, but you're still looking, right? Of course you are. What man doesn't look? And all women know this.

There is no harm in "just looking". But if you're checking girls out, you can bet there are girls who are checking you out as well. It's name of game. Sooner or later, after so much alcohol has been consumed, you'll let your guard down. Someone may strike up a conversation. It may not even be you. It may be one of those girls who's been checking you out or a girl who sees you in club at same time every week.