There are only 4 words you need to know to keep romance alive. I call them the 4 P’s to Relationship Success—Prioritize, Plan, Play, and Participate.
1. Prioritize
People prioritize time and energy for the things and people that are important to them. Is your relationship at the top of your list?
Now, you don’t necessarily need to write down your priorities and rank them, but you’re certainly welcome to. Does finding a relationship rank up there with your career?
I would bet you work more than 40 hours every week. But let me ask you, how many hours are you spending really making your love life a priority? If you’re in a relationship—how much work do you do to keep romance alive between the two of you?
Good news! With The Setup, you don’t have to put hours of time and energy into your love life to make it a top priority. There’s no endless swiping or meaningless texting. Your Matchmaker does all the behind-the-scenes work to vet out any potential deal-breakers. We weed through all of the candidates to find the ones best suited to you, then we set you up!
2. Plan
In the Rom-Coms, there’s always a spontaneous meet-cute. On reality TV, the couple just happens upon a concert or hot air balloon while strolling through the park.
But those things don’t happen in real life.
A team of writers came up with that scenario. You never see the part where The Bachelor has to sign a waiver before climbing in the basket of a hot air balloon.
My point is, it takes a lot of planning to keep romance alive.
You don’t have to commission a yacht to plan a great date. A little goes a long way. Think about your partner’s Love Language and organize a day around filling their love tank.
3. Play
Couples who play together, stay together.
There’s a reason so many people say a sense of humor is an important factor when looking for a potential mate. In fact, being able to laugh at the same things, and create inside jokes makes a relationship even stronger, according to Dr. Jeffrey Hall.
Laughter is mother nature’s medicine. Try visiting a comedy club on your next date and see if it doesn’t help seal the bond.
Does your partner prefer physical activities? Try a trampoline park. Maybe they’re more on the competitive side? Learn a new obscure sport together. Do they enjoy embarrassing themself at Karaoke?
Plan something together you know they’ll enjoy, something that allows you to be silly together and get out of your day-to-day routine. Try to get out of your own comfort zone and try something new! They’ll appreciate your effort to keep the romance alive.
4. Participate
Speaking of effort. How much effort are you putting into the relationship compared to your partner? Are things pretty even or could one of you seriously pick up the slack?
Relationships are not passive. To succeed, they require active participation from both parties.
Love is an actionable verb. You have to wake up every single day and choose to love your partner. Play with them. Plan things to make them feel special. Make them a priority in your life, and you’re sure to keep romance alive.