17 Commandments For Your Love Life In 2017

Ah. 2017. I’ll spare you all of the “New Year, New You” introductory pretense and cut right to the chase:

If you want to make over your love life by next year at this time, listen up; I’ve got something to say. I have been writing about dating & relationships for a very long time. Can you believe I didn’t run out of advice? Or get carpal tunnel?

We’ve made it this far, y’all! I’ve got another self-help dating book on the way for early 2017, and for now, I have 17 Commandments for your love life for 2017. Without further ado: 
​

1. Unsubscribe from everyone else’s idea of what you should want for your love life.  Instead of getting lost in a sea of potentially uneducated opinions about what is good for you, look within and focus on what it is that you truly want in the romance department.  
2. Speaking of everyone else: Embrace the fact that, yes, your family-especially your parents- have impacted the way you do romantic relationships and move on. If you have a history of troubled relationships, they probably have something to do with it. But if you do not accept it, make peace with your family, and figure out how to deal with your issues, you are only hurting yourself. 
3. On a lighter note, always bring chocolate. Or wine. Or send the handwritten thank you card. In a world where manners are lacking, you should take my advice and the advice of these other fifty-four experts: Be a gentleman. Or, umm, a lady. You will really stand out from the crowd. 
4. Be proactive. Whether you want to end, start, or commit to a relationship, take action to make it happen. No one else is going to do it for you. 
5. Learn to forgive yourself and those who have hurt you. There’s no use taking a grudge into the new year.
6. Do not attempt to be Super(wo)man. Especially in the early stages of dating— but even when you are married. It is cute that you want everything in life to be perfect for you and your partner, but its just not a sustainable lifestyle. Stop running around until the “cat is out of the bag”. You are human. Relax.
7. Oh, and quit being the cool girl(boy)friend while you are at it. I’ve said this before: It is soooo overrated. Pretending to be okay with things that you aren’t actually okay with just leads to a fake relationship with the potential for lots of passive aggressive-bullshit-behavior. And IBS. I’m certain this is a leading cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome…. 
8. Don’t go to the hardware store for milk. Some people just can’t give you what you need. When you realize this and either accept them for what they are or move on, life gets much easier. 
9. If you’ve tried to let go of a toxic person and he/she didn’t get the hint, dothis. Immediately. 
10. Realize that the key to relationship success is figuring out what people want and giving it to them.  Most of the time. ‘Cause a little withholding keeps the passion alive.If you can’t figure it out, ask. You shouldn’t pretend to be mind reader or expect anyone you are in a relationship with to read your mind.
11. Don’t believe that anyone really loves you until he or she has seen you at your worst. Unless s**t gets real and they don’t run away, how can you know their love is true?
12. If you are procrastinating anything in your love life-from writing your online dating profile to popping the question-it is most likely because you have a fear of rejection. You should probably just feel the fear and do it anyway!
13. Always expect the worst-case-scenario. Come equip with Plan B. Because even though no one thinks it will happen to them, it will happen to someone. And when it rains on your wedding day, you need more than just a guy who will let you stand under his umbrella. 
14. Let It Be.: Stop chasing people that don’t chase back and wishing for relationships that are broken. Things happen in divine time. Sometimes-like now, during Mercury Retrograde-its best to just put down the phone. 
15. But if you did pick up the phone, realize that your text message probably won’t make or break anything. Sure, there are some magical texts for him or her that can move things along, but really its not that big of a deal. 
16. Count your blessings. Expressing gratitude on a daily basis can do wonders for your love life. Sometimes it is only natural to be negative. Like when you are trying to get over your ex and everyone you attempt to date turns out to be a felon or alcoholic. But you’ve got to keep your head up if you want to manifest something positive in love.
17. If you do nothing else for your love life, do something different. Stagnant bullshit never looked good on anyone. So get out of your comfort zone, make a move,  take a risk in love………….

         And have a happy, healthy, successful, sexy, fabulous, love life in 2017!

---