Not all couples are going to be so in synch with each other that they will both like all of the same things. While having many common interests certainly helps to boost the success rate of any relationship, sometimes couples don’t enjoy many of the same things at all. However, these same couples tend to have successful relationships. The reason behind their success seems to be that they’ve learned the art of compromising over things.
Compromising isn’t something that is easy for everyone. In fact, a lot of people don’t understand it and never will. But for those that do, it becomes a very natural part of their entire relationship. When you talk to couples that seem as if they shouldn’t even be together, you’ll find that they have a very happy relationship because they aren’t selfish and don’t feel the need to always have everything their way.
Selfishness and self-centeredness will never allow for a compromise. That’s why if one, or both partners, in any relationship has a selfish streak, or feels that everything should be about them all the time, those two better have a lot in common because compromise is never going to be a part of their relationship.
Selfish people don’t understand the art of compromise because, quite simply, they have no interest in it. If something is not about them, they just don’t care. This can be rather difficult on a relationship, even under normal circumstances, but when a couple has nothing or little in common, and selfishness is part of the equation, this relationship is pretty much doomed.
For those couples that are both giving to each other as well as willing to compromise, there is a decent success rate as well as happy relationships. To compromise doesn’t mean that one of you gives in to the other all the time. A compromise means that you each take turns in getting something you want. For example, if a woman that has no interest in sports whatsoever is with a man that is a sports fanatic, there will be plenty of compromises to be made throughout the year.
This couple may decide to sit down together and decide which sports events will be the most important to the man and will mark those on the calendar. She can either join him to watch those events or make her own plans that day. While they’re making this schedule for him, they can also plan things that she enjoys doing. In this way, everyone is happy.
Again, compromise can only take place if both people are willing to work on it as a team. As long as each person in the relationship is getting something they want or enjoy, there should be no major issues. If something comes up unexpectedly that one partner really wants to do, the other partner can relent and they will plan something else around that.
You see, you really don’t have to love the same things to have a happy relationship. Just be willing to work together so that both of you get what you want.