Love is a hard concept to grasp. It's the unity of two souls, and the sacrifice of one's own self-driven pleasures for the affections of their significant other. This action requires a huge amount of your time, commitment, and patience to be successful. The lack thereof could prove to be detrimental to any relationship. While those are key components to a healthy relationship, there are many other efforts required to maintain its' well being. If it is not maintained, you will be in a relationship with someone that you don't love, which could lead to break-ups and/or divorce. Here are some of the reasons why relationships last, and why some of them fail.

1. Communication

Communication, in regards to the relationship, is defined as the successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings. In any relationship two people might have, communicating with your partner could not be stressed enough. It's important because if you are constantly imparting your feelings or thoughts with your partner, and they share their own feelings or thoughts, you both are aware of how the other feels. This opens the door in the relationship which allows an emotional connection to be made. It's one idea to get to know what someone likes to listen to, or what their favorite movie or music group is. However, knowing and understanding someone based on their experiences and their perspective could lead to a connection which would be inseparable.

What most people don't understand about relationships is that it will not work without communication. When you physically are not talking to your partner about things you feel are important, it creates a conflict. The conflict comes into play because your point of view changes, and you start to see things differently than your partner sees them. When your viewpoints don't line up, the relationship will become stagnant, because neither of you can reach a place of comfort with each other. When this occurs, tensions often become higher, and the relationship can start to add pressure and stress to the situation. Have you ever noticed that after a couple fights or argues, they often apologize following what was said and they say "I didn't mean that".? Naturally, the apology comes from the emotional side of yourself because it was never your intention to hurt their feelings. The argument occurs because both people in the relationship are not on the same page, and their views are in two different directions. However, this separation happens because they have not been effectively communicating their thoughts and feelings with one another.

2. Show That You Care

Showing affection is also key in having a healthy relationship. Affection, in regards to relationships, is defined as a gentle feeling of fondness or liking. Showing your partner that you care is imperative to keeping them happy. Many couples take the time to go out to see a movie, eat at a nice restaurant, or spend time together to express their feelings of appreciation for one another. For many people, this part of the relationship is the assurance that the person he/she picked was the right choice, and that they actually have someone who cares about them. This also strengthens the feeling of belonging in the relationship. In a way, affection creates a bond between both partners that strengthens the loyalty they have for each other.

A relationship with no affection could not exist. If you are constantly neglecting your partner or not making them feel appreciated or cared for, many problems can arise. Affection, as I previously stated, creates a bond which strengthens their loyalty. Loyalty cannot be built between any two people if they feel like the other does not care. This situation can put a strain on the relationship and make either partner feel like they are alone, which causes separation and arguments to happen. It's also important to note the fact that he/she might not say they want your affection, but it's one of the things they need to have for the relationship to work. Would you ever want to be with someone that does not show you affection or show the fact that they care?. I would hope that every reader's answer is the same. Of course not.

I want to clarify that I am in no way trying to teach anyone how to treat their partner because each relationship is a different experience for many people. However, what I know as fact is that you can not have a healthy or long-lasting relationship without communicating and showing affection to the one that you are dating or married to. And if you can't offer communication or affection in a relationship, then you cannot offer them your love.