Have you found yourself while in a relationship asking, "Have they always been like this?" "Were we ever supposed to be together?" or even "How did I not see this before?" Well, I sure have and I think most of us have! I truly believe that some of these questions could've been answered or even prevented if we would've taken the time to intentionally be friends before jumping into a relationship. I know having these questions/ concerns can be very frustrating and that is why I wanted to share with you a few simple reasons why creating a friendship before jumping into the relationship is so important.

When you are friends with someone, especially with someone that you are romantically interested in, you are able to witness first-hand how they treat their friends. The way someone treats their friends can give you an idea of how they treat the people they care about. How they treat friends and even their own family can also reveal a lot about someone's character. Someone's character is a huge thing you should take into consideration before getting into a relationship. So many times we have this idea of what they are like and then even fall for the person you created in your head, I am guilty of this myself. Often I have caught myself creating this picture of who they are as a person that fits right into what I may consider #relationshipgoals when in reality I haven't taken the time to actually understand this individual as the person they really are; I'm literally creating a relationship founded off of lies without it even starting yet.