A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her.

The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed. The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.

That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn’t sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

Moral of the story:
If you don’t give your hundred percent in a relationship, you’ll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent..

This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully.

Don't talk about work or the kids. Talk about you. One of the best things you can do to better your relationship is to let your partner know what you want, what you dream about, and how you feel. Our emotions are what make us human. We make our connections with other people through our emotions. Learning how to talk about our feelings is vital in maintaining an intimate relationship with our partner.

Develop a ritual around your relationship. We all look forward to Christmas, Easter and birthdays as times associated with bringing us close to family and friends, but we don't often realize that what we are doing is using ritual as a means of connection. Ritual can be used every day to strengthen bonds with those we love – such as sitting down as a family every night at the same to talk about what has happened to us that day, or making one night of the week 'family night' when everyone sits down together to eat – with no distractions from the television. Rituals have been a vital part of human bonding behavior since the beginning of time – and we ignore the value of ritual, we ignore the enormous benefits they can bring to our relationships.

Learn to listen. Many people think they are good listeners, and this belief prevents them from understanding what it means to be a good listener. It does not mean trying to fix someone else's problem. When was the last time you listened to your partner or one of your children and were able to hear and understand their point of view without expressing an opinion or offering advice or defending your own position? Some people have this rare skill but for most of us listening means waiting quietly until it's our turn to talk. Can you remain curious about what someone else is saying, even if it is sensitive for you, or opposes what you think is right, or what you yourself belief? Are you able to accurately reflect back to someone what they have said to let them know you really get their point of view? It's a rare but vital skill in any successful relationship.

Don't react – reflect. The most common behavior seen in distressed couples is what I call 'chain reaction.' One partner says something – and the other reacts defensively. Then the first partner becomes defensive to their defensives – and within a minute or two there is a blazing row. To break this pattern couples need to learn to reflect, not react. Really listening to your partner's issues instead of reacting to them can be the difference between anniversary and alimony.

Stay separate together. Sharing love and sharing lives should not mean living in each other's pockets. It's vital that two people do not lose their sense of self. Couples do not have to share the same friends, tastes, or habits to have a satisfying relationship. Clone-liness can lead to loneliness. A significant number of couples begin to feel enmeshed in a suffocating relationship – and separate in order to rediscover their sense of self. There will be times when you or your partner need time alone – and times when you need to lean on each other. Maintaining relationships with friends and family and activities that you had before you met, can be very important to a relationship in the long term. It can also expand your own horizons!

Turn away, turn towards or turn against? Dr John Gottman describes these as the three alternative behaviours we can adopt when relating to our partner. Everyone makes daily bids for emotional connection of some kind. We may want our partners attention, interest, enthusiasm and excitement about something we are excited about or affection etc. If our bids are met with a 'turning torward' response a deposit is made into the emotional bank account of the relationship. The more positive responses we get the higher our emotional bank balance gets. This healthy balance acts as a buffer to get couples through difficult periods. Turning towards our partner simply means acknowledging attempts at connection with love, kindness and interest. In contrast 'turning away' means not responding to our partners bids. Research states that couples who 'turn toward' one another in the little everyday moments in life report much higher relationship satisfaction and are more likely to remain together. Hence the importance of Gottman's motto 'small things often'.

Do things together that are fun! This may seem obvious – but it's so obvious many couples forget to do it. In between paying the bills and raising children and going to work many couples tend to squeeze in time to … argue. Every couple should have at least one 'date night' per week. This does not have to mean a candlelit French restaurant; it can mean going to the movies together or participating together in a sport. Anything from bridge to mountain climbing! It's just an opportunity to connect and have fun together.

Learn to fight clean. Dr John Gottman tells us that conflict in a relationship is not necessarily bad. What is bad is verbal abuse, violence or chronic arguing. Conflict is not a case of one partner being wrong and the other being right; it means there is an issue that needs resolving. Don't ignore it, and don't try and get your own way either. Don't continue in an argument if it starts to heat up – that only leads to disaster. Dr John Gottman has shown that two thirds of all conflict in a relationship is never resolved - the goal is to manage conflict not to eliminate it. When you are both able to compromise it shows that you value the other person and recognize your essential differences.

Never take love for granted. Celebrate your relationship every day. You'll miss all those little everyday things that you love about your partner if they were gone. The best way to keep them - be grateful for them in the now. Thank them for making you dinner or taking the rubbish out; tell them you like spending time with them. Couples who appreciate each other are not only happier in their relationships, but happier in their lives.

Sweeping things under the carpet makes for a lumpy carpet! For many couples communication means discussing whose turn it is to take the kids to school and whether to install a new deck. Make time every day to talk about the things that matter to you – and don't hope that problems will just magically disappear. They never ever do – molehills can quickly become mountains when they are ignored. Remember to share your dreams with your partner – but also talk about your concerns too.

Three-Word Phrases, can be tools to help develop every relationship. 

There are many things that you can do to strengthen your relationships. Often the most effective thing you can do involves saying just three words. When spoken sincerely, these statements often have the power to develop new friendships, deepen old ones and even bring healing to relationships that have soured.

The following three-word phrases can be tools to help develop every relationship.

~ Let me help:

Good friends see a need and then try to fill it. When they see a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being asked, they jump in and help out.

~ I understand you:

People become closer and enjoy each other more when the other person accepts and understands them. Letting your spouse know - in so many little ways - that you understand them, is one of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. And this can apply to any relationship.

~ I respect you:

Respect is another way of showing love. Respect demonstrates that another person is a true equal. If you talk to your children as if they were adults you will strengthen the bonds and become closer friends. This applies to all interpersonal relationships.

~ I miss you:

Perhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if couples simply and sincerely said to each other “I miss you.” This powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, needed, desired and loved. Consider how important you would feel, if you received an unexpected phone call from your spouse in the middle of your workday, just to say “I miss you.”

~ Maybe you’re right:

This phrase is very effective in diffusing an argument. The implication when you say “maybe you’re right” is the humility of admitting, “maybe I’m wrong”. Let’s face it. When you have an argument with someone, all you normally do is solidify the other person’s point of view. They, or you, will not likely change their position and you run the risk of seriously damaging the relationship between you. Saying “maybe you’re right” can open the door to explore the subject more. You may then have the opportunity to express your view in a way that is understandable to the other person. 

~ Please forgive me:

Many broken relationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

~ I thank you:

Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don’t take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not have the attitude of gratitude.

~ Count on me:

A friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship. It is the emotional glue that bonds people. Those that are rich in their relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come, a good friend is there indicating “you can count on me.”

~ I’ll be there:

If you have ever had to call a friend in the middle of the night, to take a sick child to hospital, or when your car has broken down some miles from home, you will know how good it feels to hear the phrase “I’ll be there.” Being there for another person is the greatest gift we can give. When we are truly present for other people, important things happen to them and us. 

We are renewed in love and friendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is at the very core of civility.

~ Go for it:

We are all unique individuals. Don’t try to get your friends to conform to your ideals. Support them in pursuing their interests, no matter how far out they seem to you. God has given everyone dreams, dreams that are unique to that person only. 

Support and encourage your friends to follow their dreams. Tell them to “go for it.”

~ I love you:

Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person’s deepest emotional needs. The need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your spouse, your children, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words: “I love you.” Love is a choice. You can love even when the feeling is gone."

1. Relying on your feelings rather than your intuition.
Feelings regarding a new relationship will almost always involve powerful lust. This is natural. When an interest grows sexually, it grows as quickly and as surely as a child. Each interaction doubles the desire until the need to be constantly together becomes unstoppable; a temporary insanity that works for the human race. It’s right here, at these initial stages of lust and desire, that the intuition is disregarded. Warning signs regarding long-term difficulties are thrust aside by the strong emotions that are being felt. Being aware of what is happening is the only hope of touching your gut-feelings for a moment, a moment that could possibly avert a lifetime of problems.


2. Lack of self-confidence.
The feeling here is that you need someone to complete you; a piece is missing that you must find. With antennae up, the search begins, and because you are searching so intently, there is the tendency to grab the first thing that provides you with the attention that you so badly need. In this case, intuition and feelings surrender to a psychological need. The problem is, the insecurity is only solved temporarily, and down the road after the relationship cools, the constant attention that you require may not be there.


3. Thinking that things will automatically work out.
There is the tendency to put a new relationship on autopilot, as if it is divinely inspired. We look past any potential problems and just believe that everything will be fine. Part of this is due to sexual attraction, which nature has programmed to be invulnerable to logic! In this case, intuition is temporarily sidestepped, and the part of us that says, “Watch out!” is muffled in deference to procreating the species.


4. Falling in love with “love” rather than your partner.
Needing a relationship to solve your insecurity, loneliness, etc., regardless of the hapless person who fills that need, is destined for failure, simply because the entire emphasis is on your needs. This immature attitude will destroy a relationship in short order, or as soon as your partner doesn’t live up to your expectations.


5. Relying on self-help books and friend’s advice instead of your own intuition.
If we are in touch with our intuition, values such as honesty, compassion, and selflessness will become apparent in a potential partner. Friends and relatives might have other ideas, such as success or good looks, or books might tell us to consider religious or political affiliation. The key is differentiating our intuition from our lust.


6. Overconfidence.
This could be a symptom of being caught up in yourself, and could lead to arrogance and conceit. When you are arrogant, this means that you disregard other’s feelings, simply because you are the most important consideration at all times. You basically need only yourself, but sexual needs get in the way, and therefore you might feign a relationship for that purpose.


7. Confusing the realities of a relationship with eternal bliss.
This is confusing human relationships with conceptualized ideals of religious experience. The initial feelings of a relationship may be indeed transcendent, but they never last. The relationship gets real very fast, and when it does, a mature perceptive of human relationship must be understood.


8 Unwillingness to change and adapt to the relationship.
We might feel that our way is the right way and harbor strong opinions about what is right and what is wrong. If we can see these as only our opinions based on our personal experiences and exposure, and understand that our partner’s perspective may be quite different, this will go a long way in determining whether we will be able to compromise and be successful in building a strong relationship.


9. Comparing your relationship or partner with others.
This involves a number of problems based on fear, such as envy, insecurity, and greed (for something better than what you have). An initial relationship will never hold up to its promises, simply because it becomes stale, as anything does that we become overly familiar with. It’s just the way things work. Knowing and understanding these things at the get go is where we have a chance to convert a stale relationship into a mature relationship. It all depends upon our capacity to compromise our selfish desires with the things that our partner requires.


10. Creating a crisis to keep things interesting.
Fighting and making up recreates that initial exuberance, but when that no longer works, you might attempt to shore up a relationship with some kind of a long-term excitement or commitment. Children are a good distraction. The child rearing years temporarily create a diversion from the realities of a close relationship. They do end, however, and then what was not faced initially comes home to roost. Better to come to terms with the realities of a relationship initially, rather than forgo the reality until years later. Too many people break up in their forties and fifties when the children are gone and they are faced with their relationship again, but this time with no escape.