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Category Archives: Healthy Relationships

Is Technology Good For You?

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on February 13, 2015 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

By Arjuna Ardagh and Jonathan Robinson

We have been friends for many years. Recently we both attended a small conference about technology and consciousness. How can technology, and specifically artificial intelligence, affect our state of consciousness? Lots of interesting people were there: from Microsoft, from Impact Financing and from many other backgrounds.
On the way home from the conference, we were driving together in the same car. Talking together, we realized something interesting. When people get together in the technology field to talk about new developments, there are really two questions that commonly get asked.
The first question is: “Can it be done? Do we have the technology available to create this?”
The second question is: “Will people pay for it? Will people be willing to adopt this technology in a way that creates financial return?”
But there Is also another very important question we can ask about the advance of technology. It is not about whether it can be done, or even about whether it will be adopted. We can also ask: “Is it actually good for us? Is it in alignment with what we really want, with what we most deeply long for?”
To answer that question, during the long drive from Southern California to Northern California, we reflected upon some commonly held values, which most people can agree upon. And then we measured advances in technology according to these values.
Check out the questions we asked ourselves, and tell us your answers.

Does It Make You More Self Reliant Or More Dependent?

Is a technology training you to become better at something yourself, or is it training you to become more reliant on the technology?
Jonathan has a little button called “LumoLift.” It is very clever: it has an altimeter built into it, so if you slouch, it reminds you to sit up straight again. Brilliant! After several weeks of use, Jonathan has noticed that even when he does not wear his lift device, he remembers to sit up straight on his own. The technology has trained him to adopt a better habit, and greater awareness, in such a way that he is now independent of the technology itself.
On the other hand, being of a ripe old age now, we both grew up before there were computers, and even calculators. We learned to do mental arithmetic in our head. The more that we each use a calculator, the less we are able to perform these functions mentally. We notice when we go to a store and want to buy four items each for $25, a younger person helping in the store has to use a calculator to multiply $25 x 4.  Regularly using the spell checker will almost certainly reduce your ability to spell well on your own. These are examples where technology has made us more reliant upon it, and reduced our sense of self-sufficiency.
Using technology in a way that makes us dependent is potentially a great risk. If solar rays from the sun suddenly fried all the microchips, for example, we would all be in deep trouble.
 

Is Technology Bringing You Closer To People Or Will It Make You More Isolated?

Research shows that the number one factor in creating a life of happiness is the quality of your personal relationships.  We view love as an intrinsically desirable experience, and we view loneliness and isolation as intrinsically negative.
For sure, we can find plenty of examples of technology that brings us closer to other people. A soldier or a missionary worker sent overseas for many months, or even years, can connect with loved ones using Skype or Google Hangout. You can maintain real conversations with people, where you can see body language as well as hear the voice, in a way we’ve never been able to do before.
On the other hand, video games you play by yourself, or many other of the activities we do on a cell phone, may actually isolate you from other people.
We have to be able to distinguish between quantity and quality. Two hundred Facebook friends does not equal one truly good friend who you can trust will always be there for you.  Technology mat easily increase the quantity of our interactions, but how does it impact their quality?
 

Spiritual Awakening

Is the technology making you more addicted and identified, or more spacious?
Last month Jonathan got a gadget called The Muse.  It is a device you wear on your forehead that gives you a read-out of your brain’s EEG waves on your smartphone. Its goal is to help you calm your brainwaves down so you can experience a deeper level of peace.
There are many other apps developed now, which are designed specifically to bring you back to your center, feeling peaceful and rested.
The question we might want to ask about apps and devices like this is: are they giving you a temporary spiritual high, only when you use them, or are the leading you to a longer-term maintained sense of spiritual maturity and awakening?
We both have  friends who take a “technology fast” one day a week.  They turn off their internet and smartphone for 24 hours, and go back to living a simpler, more peaceful life.  Like this,  we can break through addiction to reliance on devices.
Can technology help you to live more awake?
 

Health

Is this device or software improving your health, or negatively impacting your health?
Of course, there is plenty of medical technology which saves lives today, there are apps which help to monitor your heart rate, your blood pressure and fat, and to make better decisions.  We can diagnose and anticipate and monitor health conditions much more accurately than we ever could before.
On the other hand, staying up late at night staring at the screen, as gamers do, may be negatively impacting our health.
The long-term impact of electromagnetic fields on our body is not yet known. You may have heard about the woman who kept her cell phone in her breast pocket in her shirt. When she developed breast cancer, the shape of the tumor exactly matched the shape and size of her cell phone.
We both have had friends and clients who have overdosed on technology working in the IT industry. They spend 10 or 12 hours a day staring at the screen, and finally they burn out. Then they have to go and stare at trees for a few months to recover their health.
 

Maturity

The word “maturity” means something to most people. We recognize that a five-year-old child, or even a teenager, is not very mature, usually, but an older person is more mature. What does it mean? It means they have had a lot more life experience. They have been there, and done that. Based upon this life experience, they are able to make better decisions. When faced with the deal of a lifetime, a more mature person can say: “Yes, the deal really IS too good to be true!”
Does advancing technology make us mature faster, or make it more difficult?
Does operating in an artificial environment, like a gaming world, actually allow you to learn life skills and to increase your life experience, or does it distract from it? Can an environment like “My Second Life” actually contribute to real maturity?
 

Compassion And Love

Is reliance on technology likely to make you more compassionate and open hearted, more kind and more loving?
Devices created by HeartMath are the most obvious example of technology helping us to open our hearts, to feel the pain of others, and to live from compassion.  The entire mindfulness movement, which has had such an impact in recent years, is at the same time a backlash against absorption in technology, but the same time it is disseminated by technology.
Today you can go on YouTube, and see a talk by the Dalai Lama about compassion, or you can get inspired by Eckhart Tolle or Byron Katie. So what do you think?
Would you be a more loving and caring person with or without your smartphone?
 

More Free Time

Most people would agree that having more free time, or being able to get more things done with less expenditure of effort is a good thing. Is technology in general leaving you with more time to relax and do what you really love, or is it taking time away from you?
Recent studies show that people actually do have more time free, but they have the perception of having less time free. This suggests that technology may save you time, but at the same time give you the subjective experience of being more overwhelmed.
 

God

Another universal value that almost everybody shares is the feeling of being connected to, and in service to, something bigger than your own mind. People can call that “universal intelligence” or “The Tao” or “God.” Many people would say that anything that is helping me to be more one with God is a good thing, and anything that is taking me away from that is a bad thing.
How does our increasing reliance on technology affect our ability to be connected to the divine?

Artificial intelligence can certainly help us to perform mathematical functions more quickly, can help us to access massive databases of information, can help us to navigate through the streets of the city more efficiently, but could a programmed computer ever feel devotion? Could any kind of programmed machine ever be programmed to know what a human means by “The Love of God?”  These are universal experiences and values that have been found throughout all human history in all cultures: obviously a very important aspect of the human experience.

And, for that matter, could artificial intelligence ever understand or duplicate the experience of falling in love? A dating site could match you up with a suitable partner based on all kinds of parameters, but could a computer ever understand the feeling of the spark we feel when we love somebody deeply?
Technology isn’t going away.  In fact, its rate of development is growing faster and faster every day. Since technology is here to stay, we have to learn to adapt its power towards the goals and values that are most important to us. This is not always easy to do.  Yet, by asking the questions presented here, and being honest with your actual experience, you can hopefully keep from getting lost in a technological jungle.
Ultimately, technology gives us more choices.  It is up to us to choose wisely what we do with them…
Jonathan Robinson is a psychotherapist, best-selling author of ten books, and a professional speaker.  He has reached over 100 million people around the world with his practical methods.   Mr. Robinson has made numerous appearances on the Oprah show, as well as many other national TV talk shows, and articles about him have appeared in USA Today, and Newsweek.  In his public talks and seminars, Jonathan is known for providing people with immediately useful information in a fun and entertaining manner.  For more information, go to his web site:  FindingHappiness.com
Posted in Healthy Relationships, Well being

Three Secrets to Joyful Relationships!

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on August 30, 2014 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

images-1Secret #1 for Joyful Relationships: Make Your Partner Or Friends Happy to See You. I have a Golden Retriever that virtually everyone loves.   One reason she is so popular is that, the moment she sees anyone, she runs up to them and excitedly greets them.  She makes everyone feel totally special and appreciated.  People love feeling loved and special.   If you make people feel loved and special, they will be very happy to see you.  If people are happy to see you, your own happiness will get a boost.   It’s that simple.  So when you first see your partner or your friend, go up and excitedly lick their face.  Just kidding.   Yet, it’s a good idea to smile and give them a hug—or whatever is your way of expressing that you’re excited to see someone you care about.   Secret #2:  Do an Act of Kindness Studies show that doing an act of kindness for a stranger or a friend is the fastest way to boost your own level of happiness.   It’s a win-win.  You feel better, they feel better, and there’s a bit more kindness in the world.  It need not be a big act of kindness.  You can simply say something you appreciate, buy a small gift, or give your friend a shoulder massage.  As I once said on the Oprah show, “kindness is like chocolate; it’s addictive.  Once you see that it makes your life better, it’s easy to keep it going.”   Secret #3:  Practice Play and You More (humor) If you watch kids, they play and laugh a lot.  Four year olds who hang out with each other make playing the basis of their relationship.  As adults, we sometimes forget about the power of laughter and play.  We don’t even “play” tennis.  Instead, we compete at tennis.   But play is a natural and joyous way of being with someone you care about.   If you let more play and humor into your marriage or friendships, you’ll feel both closer and more joyous.   So get out the board games, beer, funny movies or whatever helps you to play, and enjoy the fruits of fun and silliness.   So that’s an appetizer.   I hope you’ll join me on my call in which I go into the full 10 secrets for creating joyful relationships.   By signing up for the “deeply happy” telesummit, you’ll get a chance to listen to many happiness experts describe tools and ideas to add even more joy to your life…You can sign up for that by clicking here: www.deeplyhappy.com

Posted in Healthy Relationships, How to Be Happy, Uncategorized

How to Make New Year’s Resolutions that Work

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on December 26, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

resolutions-you-can-keepIt’s that time of the year again to make resolutions.  Instead of making them and then  breaking them like most people do, why not put some punch behind your resolutions?  I helped invent a method that practically guarantees your resolutions will be kept.  The technique, which I call the Integrity Contract, helps people stay motivated when the going gets tough. After all, it is only people who are consistent over a long period who ultimately succeed in life

In order to make consistent progress towards one’s goals, we need some form of immediate pain to occur if we fail to take appropriate action. If every time you failed to exercise three times a week you cut off a finger, you’d be a lot more consistent!  Since no sane person would ever do that, you need to find an immediate pain you would be willing to give to yourself if you fail to act in beneficial ways.  After much trial and error, I found a solution that worked. In the last fifteen years, I’ve taught the Integrity Contract method to thousands of people, and the results have been astounding. Here’s the essence of the technique:

Write a contract with yourself that states all the precise actions you’re willing to commit to do during the following week. Then write a statement that says, “For each of the items on this contract I fail to do by one week from today, I agree to rip up $2.”  Finally, sign your contract, date it, and place it in a place you’ll see it every day. That’s it. Here’s an example of a simple contract:

resolutions

“During the next week, I will exercise 3 times for a minimum of forty minutes. I will read a minimum of sixty pages from the book I got on investing. I will meditate for at least twenty minutes each day. For each task I don’t complete by January 7th, I will rip up $2.”
There are several reasons why this method is so effective. First, there is a clear proclamation of what you intend to do, and by when you intend to do it. Normally, people have a lot of lofty thoughts about what they could do to improve their life (aka New Year’s Resolutions), but these thoughts soon slip away. With the Integrity Contract method, you’ll have a visual reminder of what you’re committed to do. Second, with this technique, you’ll experience immediate pain if you fail to keep your word. Since your brain is always trying to avoid immediate pain, it will do its best to complete what’s on the contract.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s fine to not complete everything on your contract–as long as you rip up the money for the tasks you don’t finish. I’ve seen that, as long as people are willing to rip up money for failing to complete their contract, the method eventually works. Maybe not the first or second week, but by the third week you’ll find your mind screaming at you to complete whatever you wrote down.

Below is another example of how such a contract looks:

I, Jonathan, agree to do the following over the course of the next week:

a) Call five potential clients about my new seminar.
b) Wash my car, and put an ad in the paper to sell it.
c) Ask a friend to read my latest article and get their feedback.
d) Start a savings account to save money for a vacation to Europe.

For each of the above items I fail to complete by 5:00 p.m. next Thursday, I agree to rip up $2.

(date)                    (signature)________________________

Then put the contract in a place where you will see it daily. Bathroom mirrors are good. So are car dashboards. At the end of the week, evaluate how you did. If you did not complete any items on your contract, no matter what your excuse, tear up the appropriate amount of money.

Think of how quickly you could turn your goals into a reality if you made progress on them each week. Let this year be a year in which you keep your resolutions and your promises to yourself.  People who have the patience to slowly but surely make progress on their goals are the people who succeed in life.

As an added way to make sure you get support to turn your New Year’s resolutions and dreams into reality, I am offering a Free teleconference call on January 2nd.
It’s called “The Best Ways to Increase Happiness

telesminar-signup-bannerLastly, feel free to pass this blog on to your friends and family.  Wouldn’t it be great if they also started the New Year off on the right foot?  Then, you could support each other towards making 2014 an amazing year of growth, love, and joy.  By signing up for my free preview call and/or signing up for my “Happiness Through Great Relationships” Course, you’ll be giving your friends and family an opportunity to make 2014 their best year yet.

Sign up for FREE PREVIEW call here:
Finding Happiness Increase Happiness Through Great  Relationships

Sign up here for: Finding Happiness Through Great Relationships course

 

 

 

Posted in Healthy Relationships, How to Find Happiness, Positive Psychology | Tagged experience, finding, happiness, how to be happy, inspire, Jonathan Robinson, life, manage, positive psychology

How to Never Argue Again

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on November 15, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

kids arguingAs a psychotherapist, I often counsel couples who frequently argue. Early in my career, I tried to help these people with communication techniques aimed at helping them be more open with each other. Yet, it rarely worked. They would simply forget the method and continue with their verbal attacks. When I realized couples behave like hurt infants when they get into a fight, I asked myself, “What helps crying infants to feel better?” The answer was obvious–they like to be held. As parents gently hold their baby, the baby soon feels better. Before you know it, the infant is giggling and happy. I wondered if a similar approach might work with adults. After much trial and error, I found something that works even better than I expected. I call it “The Spoon Tune.”

One of the great things about the Spoon Tune is how easy it is. When we are upset, we do not have the capacity to do anything complicated. Luckily, the Spoon Tune has just two simple steps to it. First, at the earliest sign of upset, lie down with your partner in “spooning” position. Spooning is the way in which many couples sleep. It consists of having one person’s front side hugging the other person’s backside. Couples can also “spoon” standing up if they are in a place where they cannot lie down, or there is no place to do so. Although holding your partner in this manner is hard to do when you are upset, direct yourself to do it. Sometimes I think to myself that I have a choice between spooning for four minutes and feeling fine or staying upset and ruining the rest of the day. When I clearly see that those are my two options, I begin spooning.

Next, spooningwhile in a spooning position, breathe in unison with your mate. Generally, it is best for the bigger partner to follow the breath of the smaller partner. When the smaller person inhales, the other partner should inhale. When the smaller partner exhales, the other should exhale. Hold each other and breathe in unison like this for at least four minutes. Do not say anything. As soon as your mind wanders, focus once again on breathing in unison with your partner.

No matter how upset you are

At the beginning of this simple exercise, you will find yourself quickly calming down. The combination of being in the spooning position and breathing together puts people back on the same wavelength. When you share energy in this way, it creates a feeling of safety and connection at a very deep level. Although your mind may be racing and storming, your bodies and souls cannot help but connect. By the end of a few minutes, you may not even remember what you were upset. At the very least, you will feel more connected and safe, and are much better able to work things out without hurting each other. Oftentimes, the “issue”, which seemed so big just minutes before, will have become totally unimportant.

lionsOnce you begin the Spoon Tune, no talking allowed. If possible, find a place to lie down together. If that is not possible “spoon” standing up. The key to doing this method successfully is to breathe together. As you breathe together, try to focus on and be present with each breath. Use your breath as a meditation. By focusing on your breath as it goes in and out in rhythm with your partner’s breath, you will feel more peaceful, safe, and connected, spoon for at least three minutes.

Once you are done spooning, you have a couple of options.  You can simply forget about whatever led to the upset and go about your business, or, if you feel it’s necessary, you can talk things over with your partner.  If you need to work something out, you will be in a much better frame of mind to do so.

You need not wait until you are upset to use the Spoon Tune. In fact, it is a great way to connect with your partner anytime. Many couples find it to be an easy and satisfying way to unwind after a stressful day. It can also be a very effective way to connect with your partner before making love. The hardest thing about this method is remembering to use it. Make an agreement that either you or your partner can ask for a “spooning” if you feel like your tempers are starting to get the best of you. Be on the lookout for times when you or your partner begin to get upset, or you both feel stressed. In order to use the Spoon Tune correctly the first time you get angry at each other, it is a good idea to try a practice run when you are not upset. Once you use it the first time and see how well it works, you will be hooked.

 

Posted in Anger, Being Present, Gratitude, Healthy Relationships, How to Be Happy, How to Find Happiness, Jonathan Robinson | Tagged experience, finding, happiness, how to be happy, Jonathan Robinson, partner, positive psychology

Pain and Pleasure List

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on April 15, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023
Woman getting pleasure from a bike ride

Woman doing housework in pain.What do you absolutely love to do? It need not be a big thing. Perhaps you really love to watch football, or maybe you really enjoy baking your own bread. Often, we get so caught up in living our life that we forget to take time for life’s simple pleasures. Many people find that their life is so full of responsibilities that they rarely take time for fun and adventure. If that sounds like you, then you’ll benefit by using the “Pain and Pleasure List.” The Pain and Pleasure List is a catalog of at least ten things you enjoy doing and a list of ten things you don’t particularly care for. It helps you clarify what really turns you on in life and what you do only because you have to – or think you should. While we all need to do things we don’t like from time to time, life is not meant to be a series of burdens and responsibilities. By having a Pain and Pleasure List, you’ll be able to make important changes in your life with a lot more ease.

Woman making a pain and pleasure list.The first step in using the Pain and Pleasure List is to simply create it. The singular act of writing down ten things you love to do and ten things you don’t care for can reveal a lot about your life. Recently, a client named James made his list while in my office. He had originally come to see me because of depression, stress at work, and problems with his wife. This was the list he created:

Ten Things I Don’t Like to Do

  1. Go to work.
  2. Market myself or my products.
  3. Clean the house.
  4. Cook.
  5. Be around disagreeable people.
  6. Spend time with my parents.
  7. Taxes and paying the bills.
  8. Give my wife a massage.
  9. Go shopping for clothes or gifts.
  10. Argue with wife.
Ten Things I Love to Do

  1. Ride my bike
  2. Be by myself, reading a good book.
  3. Play with the dog.
  4. Eat good food.
  5. Travel.
  6. Get a massage.
  7. Spend time in nature.
  8. Make love with my wife.
  9. Drive and listen to music.
  10. Watch a good football game.

You can write you own Pain and Pleasure List here.

After James made his Pain and Pleasure List, I had him estimate the number of hours every month he spent doing each activity. When he finished this part of the exercise, it was brutally clear why he was depressed, stressed, and messed-up with his wife. The total number of hours Man with bag on head obviously feeling emotional pain.on the “pain” side of the list was a whopping 215 hours per month. The total number of hours on the “pleasure” side of the list was a meager 32 hours a month. That’s almost a seven-to-one ratio of pain to pleasure. I’ve found that when the degree of pain as compared to pleasure rises above a five-to-one ratio, people dislike their life. In order to feel good again, such people need to spend less time doing “painful” activities, and more time doing what they enjoy.

The first key to changing your life and behavior is to be aware of what’s currently not working. If, after completing your own Pain and Pleasure List, you see a similar pattern to James’, then you’ll know you’ve been denying yourself too much. You need to put pleasurable activities at a greater level of importance in your life. Sometimes people think if they make pleasure a bigger priority, the rest of their life will fall apart. Not true. When we don’t have enough good times in our life, we become less capable and effective in our career and relationships. We pay a price. As we feel good more regularly, the rising sea of our emotions tends to lift the various “boats” of our life.

Woman displaying pleasure on  a car ride.Although less frequently, some people who complete the Pain and Pleasure List see a pattern of having too much pleasure in their life. They tend to avoid responsibilities and discipline at all costs. Unfortunately, this form of hedonism doesn’t work well long term. By avoiding difficult things now, people with this predilection often create problems in their finances and relationships later on. The key to having a successful life is to find the right balance of pain to pleasure. It must be a balance that works, not only in one’s current life, but it must also work long term.

Another way the Pain and Pleasure List can be useful is as a convenient reminder of what you really like to do. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the various “chores of life” that we forget to enjoy ourselves. By putting the Pain and Pleasure List in a place where you’ll see it often, it can softly help you to remember the direction you want to go. Ultimately, to change your life, you need to change individual behaviors. If there’s a lot of pain and little pleasure in your life, ask yourself the following two questions:

  1. Are there any activities on the “pain” side of the list that I can easily change, do less
    of, or have someone else do instead?
  2. Are there any activities on the “pleasure” side of the list that I can easily do more of,
    beginning with scheduling time for it in my life right now?

Woman enjoying a pleasurable bike ride.As you ask yourself these two questions, search your lists for answers you can immediately act upon. Then, take action. Schedule a fun activity into your busy week, or see if you can get someone else to do what you always hate doing. Even a small change can snowball into a major shift in your attitude and disposition. Let the Pain and Pleasure List be your caring companion—gently reminding you of the road to greater fulfillment.

Get started right now by downloading a blank Pain and Pleasure List here. And read more about living a happier life in Happiness Resources.

Posted in Healthy Relationships, How to Be Happy, How to Find Happiness, Mood

Charming Your Partner

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on February 14, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023
Couple under Hearts tree

I have a question for you: for $500, could you make your partner feel upset in under one minute? Most people answer an emphatic “Yes!” To accomplish this, you would probably bring up some event, person, or question that invariably irritates your partner. We even have a term for this–“pushing my buttons.” When someone pushes our buttons, it is commonly accepted we have no choice but to get upset. Over time, our partner usually learns where all our “buttons” are.

While “pushing my buttons” signifies a way our partner can easily make us upset, we have no phrase for the opposite effect–when our mate does something that invariably makes us feel loving. We could call it “pushing my love buttons,” but there’s no poetry in a phrase like that. I prefer to call it “charming my heart.” When someone “charms” us, it’s as if they have cast a spell of enchantment over our heart. A wonderful way to experience more love in your relationship is to learn of “automatic” ways to charm your partner’s heart. When your partner feels fully loved by you, guess how they’ll treat you? Soon, you’ll both be charming each other’s heart in an upward spiral that leads all the way to heaven. Ahhh, how sweet it can be!

couple beach sunsetThe way we tend to express love to another person is, in most cases, the way in which we would like to receive it. I have fallen into this trap. I used to give my wife massages because that’s what makes me feel loved. Even if a gorilla gave me a massage, I’d feel totally loved. My wife used to frequently tell me she loved me because that’s what she wanted to hear. When people are unaware of their partner’s preferred ways of feeling loved, they end up expending a lot of energy that goes unappreciated. Yet by knowing exactly what helps your partner feel safe and loved, it becomes infinitely easier to create intimacy on a consistent basis.

There is a simple exercise you can do with your partner to find out how best to “charm their heart.” Have him or her become comfortable in a chair, and then say the following: “Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and begin to think of a specific time you felt really loved by me. Remember that time as clearly as you can. Remember where we were, what we were doing, and exactly what happened that let you know I really loved you.” Give your partner a minute or so to fully re-experience such a moment. Then proceed, “What was most important in letting you know I fully loved you? Was it something I said, or the way I looked at you, the way I touched you, or something else? What exactly helped you to know that I really loved you?” Listen carefully to what your partner says, because the answer(s) to this question can transform your relationship.

couple beach shadowBy knowing how your own heart is charmed, you can reveal this important information to your partner. Try the previous exercise on yourself, or have your partner read it to you. You may be surprised to discover exactly what your partner does that creates a warm feeling of safety and love in you. Once your mate knows how to help you feel loved, they can more easily and consistently show you they care.

Every time you charm your partner’s heart, you’re making a “loving deposit” in to your “shared love account.” Your shared love account is like a bank balance you share together. When things are going well, there’s a lot of love put into “savings.” When both of you consistently make deposits into your shared account, you feel abundantly in love. It’s much easier to handle problems when there’s an abundance of love in your love account. Therefore, make frequent deposits of love in your relationship account by charming your partner’s heart. Remember to do the little actions that make a big difference in how your partner feels. It will immediately help both of you feel wonderfully intimate, and when problems arise, you’ll have plenty of love “banked” to help you ride out the storm.

Posted in Healthy Relationships, How to Find Happiness, Inspire Me Today, Jonathan Robinson, Mood, Positive Psychology | Tagged charming, experience, fullest, happiness, joy, life, partner

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