Whilst the general advice I give when dating or in the early stages of a new relationship is to ‘lead and guide the interactions’ and ‘bring them into your world’, some people take this far too literally when they are actually in a relationship. Doing these two things dogmatically, you will become the selfish, unreasonable partner.
Every healthy relationship needs compromise! Humans are extremely complex and varied creatures, so no matter how suited you feel you and your partner are, you will always have differing opinions on certain things. It is unlikely you will ever have someone who always confidently agrees with you and decidedly wants to do whatever you want to do and let’s be honest, how fun would that actually be! My standard rule for compromising is:
If something doesn’t hurt me or go against my core beliefs and principles then do it.
There is a lot more to a healthy compromise between a couple than this though and this article aims to break it down to its core components… 
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This entry was posted on
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at
6:12 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under Relationships.
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That day of the year that some people loathe, whilst others adore is soon upon us again! Whilst I agree that Valentine’s Day gets overhyped and can be rather anticlimactic, it is a great opportunity to show your other half what they mean to you, or to get a foot in the dating scene if you are single.
This article will share a few ideas for February 14th, whether you are single, in a monogamous relationship, or anywhere in between…
Valentine’s Day if you are single:
A lot of single people try to ignore or steer clear of Valentine’s Day altogether but it is actually one of the best days of the year to meet people of the opposite sex.
The last Valentine’s Day that I was single I went to a bar with a few male friends and it was the most ridiculously easy night to meet women ever! It is reasonable to assume that anyone who is not with someone of the opposite sex is single and you can therefore be far more direct with your approach. [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at
8:07 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under General.
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January is a busy time in the world of relationships. It is a month that is traditionally teeming with resolutions and renewed self-discipline and so the cities are filled with singles determined to take control of their dating lives and couples wanting to refresh, enrich and repair their relationships.
It is a common period of reflection too and so over the last month I have been working with both men and women who are going through the process of reassessing their relationships either independently or with their partner.
Whilst this article won’t categorically tell you whether you should stay in your relationship or leave it, it will give you a few things to think about regarding whether to stay or leave and explain the best mentality to have regarding any decisions… [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at
8:04 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under Relationships.
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Hello everyone,
If you are not a follower of my twitter profile then you may be wondering where this week’s update is. I decided to have a short break from updates for a few weeks so you can all enjoy your festive seasons and have time to apply some of the advice I have given throughout 2009. The ‘Best of’ page has probably been updated since you last saw it so that is a good place to find some of the best articles on Sparklife.info.
Christmas is a great time for improving our dating lives and enriching our relationships, so try and make the extra effort to both socialise and appreciate loved ones over the holiday period!
Another reason for this short Christmas hiatus is that I am busy working on a comprehensive e-book for you lovely people, to be released early in the New Year. I don’t want to reveal too much yet but it will incorporate a lot of the ideas I discuss on this website, whilst containing completely new content. As with everything on this website, it will also be 100% free with no advertising or up-selling at all!
My personal path to a fulfilling relationship:
As a further festive treat, I have created a four-minute video that will let you understand my personal path to a fulfilling relationship a bit better. [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at
4:42 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under General.
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I would like to start by saying that I am not adamantly against marriage myself but that the committal of marriage should be done with a lot greater thought and awareness than most people seem to utilise. It’s no coincidence that divorce rates are so high when we are pressured by society to believe marriage is the correct course for all long-term relationships.
I personally would rather go through life having never been married but having experienced many fulfilling relationships that were right for me at the time than marry the wrong person out of some sort of commitment obligation.
This article will highlight ten reasons why marriages consistently fail and will hopefully give some food for thought for people who believe marriage is a top priority. I encourage you to discuss, argue or agree with any of the points in the comments section at the end of the article… [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at
8:26 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under Relationships.
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Approach anxiety is an unusual phenomenon… It is irrational and unbeneficial yet remains a very real experience for a lot of people!
Approach anxiety is the manifestation of a number of physiological and emotional symptoms we get when we decide to actively meet a stranger. The time where this is most significant (which is also what makes it highly relevant to the topics on this website) is when thinking about approaching someone we are attracted to.
Humans are social creatures and we live in a sophisticated world of several billion people, yet there are still common scenarios where we find it abnormal to approach a fellow human being and instinctual responses take over our logical desires in those moments.
There are probably a few naturally confident men and women, socialised at an early age, who are reading this and cannot relate to this feeling of approach anxiety. For the rest of us, I’m sure you can think of a time where you really wanted to meet someone, perhaps someone you are physically attracted to, and approach anxiety kicked in; else, you simply dismiss the idea of actively meeting people in this way altogether.
I’ve yet to meet someone, regardless of situation or relationship status that hasn’t had their lives enriched by learning to meet more people or overcome their anxieties. This article will explain where approach anxiety comes from and then detail a simple three-step method for overcoming it… [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at
8:59 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under Dating.
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Whilst it is comforting to think that men and women can be purely platonic friends with no hidden feelings of amativeness or sexual attraction, this ideal seems to consistently get discredited with real-life examples.
I’m sure most of you reading this can claim to have platonic friends of the opposite sex but can you be certain that the feeling is completely mutual? In my experience there are only two characteristics that will allow two people to be void of this whole theory, which I will explain shortly.
I predict that there are going to many differing opinions and examples for this topic, so whilst I will share some of my own insights, I want you to have a chance to share yours too. Please further this discussion by leaving a comment at the end of this article with your thoughts on whether you think men and women can ever truly be friends; I’m really interested in what other people think about this… [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at
8:33 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under General.
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I know that my girlfriend loves me very much but there’s still something acutely powerful, blissfully reassuring and downright indomitable about hearing Heidi utter those magical three words to me.
I’ve worked hard over the past few years to rid myself of any negative emotions and anxieties and be able to control my emotions at will, yet I truly believe that the only emotion that cannot be suppressed is love!
That’s fine if your love for someone is equally reciprocated but what if it is not? And even if it is reciprocated, does the intensity fluctuate over time?
This article will introduce some new theories I have been working on surrounding love and how to manage what is ostensibly the most powerful emotion in the world… [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at
8:23 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under Relationships.
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The pivotal point in the majority of relationships and one which signifies the progression of a casual dating relationship into something real and lasting is having sexual intercourse together for the first time.
Men and women have VERY different perspectives on sleeping with someone for the first time and although everyone has their own personal thoughts and concerns about how and when to sleep with someone new, there are many generalisations that are useful to understand.
This article will explain how men and women differ emotionally when deciding to sleep with someone for the first time, whilst giving some general thoughts on how to use these differing feelings to have a smoother progression in your relationships… [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at
2:56 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under Sex.
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Today’s update is a practical assignment that will have a positive effect on many aspects of your life. If you’ve been following my twitter profile recently then you will have noticed that the lead up to this challenge revolves around thinking about the best compliments you have ever been given and how you felt when you received them. If you haven’t responded to that yet then please add the best compliment you have ever been given in the comments section at the end of this article. The responses I have received so far have highlighted the variety of positive emotions that I was expecting.
The following complimenting challenge takes very little time out of your daily routine (in fact it is incorporated directly into it) and will have a profound effect on both your dating life and your relationships… [Continue reading this post...]
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This entry was posted on
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at
7:25 pm by Samuel McCrohan and is filed
under Dating, Relationships.
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