Investing in a long term relationship requires sacrifice, conditional love, and genuine feelings. It is necessary to have all three ingredients in a relationship because one without the other results in a relationship strain. A lover will feel neglected and the relationship doesn't feel exciting anymore.

It is through cooperating, and understanding one another do the bonds of love grow stronger, lasting many years. Below I highlight the three areas one must focus on in order to sustain their relationship.

In a relationship, sacrifices will have to be made. In order to strengthen the bonds between lovers, it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice something beloved. For example, if your an avid golfer, but your girlfriend likes to go to art galleries during the weekends. Sacrificing your golfing games sometimes, and instead going with your girlfriend to an art gallery reinforces the bond between partners.

The same goes for the ladies. If you love going shopping on the weekends, but your boyfriend loves going mud bogging. Put on a dirty pair of jeans, and try it out. It's reciprocal, to sacrifice, and have your mate sacrifice for you.

This doesn't mean to sacrifice all of your personal time, but a healthy relationship requires two happy satisfied individuals.

Unconditional love is very rare. It's precious such as the bond between mother and child. For unconditional love to surface, there needs to be conditional love set in a relationship.

What I mean is that the partner should hold their mate to a certain standard. They should be able to raise the bar, and expect that mate to meet it. In turn, the other mate should be able to set expectations, and have it met.

These expectations aren't to be too extreme. But informing your mate what you expect, and what you will do for them in turn, reinforces a long term love.

For a long term relationship, there HAS to be genuine feelings in it's foundation. If your going out with a guy because he takes you out to nice restaurants, and buys you expensive clothes, this relationship will not last. If your only going out with the girl for her looks, that will also not last.

The universal fault with these foundations is that they are all based upon materialistic objects. Money, and looks do not last. So with that fading, the relationship will crumble with it.

A real relationship will have genuine feelings in it's foundation. This feeling is a mixture of physical, and emotional attraction. Together, this makes for one lovesick puppy. But to nurture this love, it takes both partners accepting responsibilities.