Photo: Getty Images
Relationships take work. With so much fantasy out there when it comes to love we don't know what to expect. Psychology Today put together a list of relationship myths. This is what people believe but these things simply aren't true.
1: Perfect relationship partners are totally compatible. Both partners should bend, compromise, and generously make room for the desires of the other, but total harmony is totally undoable. Myth
2: Perfect relationship partners have “equal appetites.” No couple naturally gets hungry at the same time, wants sex in the same way and frequency, wants to socialize exactly with the same people at the same time, or sleeps during the same hours.
3: Great partners always put their relationship first. Both partners are flexible in knowing that they have to balance their personal needs, their career needs, their family needs, their spiritual needs, and their relationship needs. These needs often don’t line up in priority for either partner. There is, of course, no room for the betrayal of the basic ethics of a relationship, but there is a deep knowledge that any relationship can never fulfill all of the needs of any person.
4: Great partners are never attracted to anyone else. (My Obama Dream) Yet great partners are still fully committed to staying in their relationship. The adage, “I don’t care where you get your appetite, as long as you come home for dinner,” applies well here.
5: Perfect relationships do not have serious conflicts. They have good conflict resolution skills. They know how to listen, respect the other’s views, and look for ways to incorporate those new challenges.
6: Perfect relationship partners are always “on the same team.” Compatibility is important, but competition is crucial and what adds spice to any relationship. Successful relationship partners love to challenge each other and they even like to win, if the rules are fair and mutual. They are also good losers.