Last Romance week I introduced you to Sean Marshall, during the “Speaking of Romance” hop when I shared his Quick and Easy Recipe for Complete Marital Bliss in only 5-7 Minutes! Sean completely shook up my paradigm about how I thought men thought about romance. Here was this completely regular family guy (Sean is married and has two daughters) who I kept running into every time I did a search about romance. His advice is simple and direct and we are supremely lucky to have him join us this Romance Week. (Oh, a do make sure you visit his off the hook delightful blog Family Rocketship, it is a must read on my weekly blog tour!)
Romance is one of those tricky concepts whose definition is different depending on who you talk to. Almost always, people will start talking about the outward manifestation of it. In other words, the activity itself of romance.
For some, it’s a bed full of rose petals. For others, it’s enjoying a gondola ride through the waterways of Venice (or the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas). For others, it’s just dinner and a movie – even if that means fast food and a trip to Blockbuster.
But what truly drives you to have more romantic feelings for your partner? What is it that gets you to look forward to those Friday nights? Let’s take a look at 5 simple things you can do to make sure those romantic Friday nights even happen!
1. Say Thank You
Every day, our partners do things for us. Many times, those things go unnoticed. Take the time to recognize those things and to say thank you. Genuine gratitude opens the door to a flood of positive emotions including romance.
2. Be Chivalrous
It’s been said that there’s always time to be polite. It’s true. No matter how busy you are, taking the time to be polite and respectful can open the doors to romance. Part of chivalry toward your partner includes just plain being nice! Nice people go on more dates.
3. Look for the Good
Many people having trouble in their relationships are focusing on the wrong things. The opposite is also true – couples with great relationships focus on all the right things. Since we get more of what we focus on, it makes sense then, to look for all of the good attributes in our partner. Once you find all of those good attributes, now it’s time to…
4. Give a Daily Genuine Compliment
There are probably 1000 things or more that you love about your partner. Tell them! In fact, they probably do things every single day that make you proud to be with them. Giving a heart-felt compliment not only gives your partner a boost, it makes you feel good too. It also increases your gratitude which then turns into an upward spiral of positive emotions.
5. Serve Without Expectation of Return
There’s no better way to show your partner you love them than to serve them. The catch, and it’s a big one, it must be genuine and you can’t expect any return. In fact, the more discreetly you can serve them, the better. Don’t worry about your actions going unnoticed. He or she will eventually see what you did for them and the romance will follow.
If you notice, each of the above ways to increase your romance all require one thing: time. Saying thank you, being chivalrous, looking for the good, giving compliments, and serving all involve you taking the time to think about your spouse and then acting on them.
And that’s what romance really is, isn’t? Regardless of what you’re actually doing, it’s about spending time with the person you love.
By doing these things, you’re sure to improve your relationship with your partner and romance will follow as a healthy side effect.
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To change the world is an admirable goal, but it starts at home. Sean Marshall shares down to earth tips that help you to improve your personal & family life and ultimately change the world. Join him on his blog Family Rocketship and learn more about how you design your perfect life while helping others at the same time.
These are fabulous suggestions! It truly is the little things that make a difference. 🙂 Thanks Sean and Kathy!