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By Nan O’Brien

As a professional Spiritual Teacher and Intuitive Counselor, I am always asked, “When will I meet the right person?”  You may think of yourself as a failure unless you are in a happy, committed relationship.  You may feel you aren’t attractive, funny, sexy, or smart enough.  Ultimately, it all boils down to one question in your head: “What’s wrong with me?”

The good news is, the answer is “nothing”!  The most common reason people do not find happiness in relationships is because they have trouble learning the intuitive life lesson of balance.  It can be tough to tell if this problem is at the root of your relationship issue.  Ask yourself these questions:

Do you always feel you must take care of others?  Do you feel guilty if you put yourself first?  Are you attracted to partners who have had problems in prior relationships?  Do you work at making your partner feel loved, while at the same time doubting if he or she feels as strongly as you do?  Do your significant others go on to be in healthy relationships with others after leaving you?

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If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, you gravitate toward the emotionally unavailable person, and your relationships are based on need instead of want. The reason for this confusion is that feeling needed is often disguised as feeling loved. You give your all, hoping that it will somehow come back to you.  You believe you must convince the other person you won’t abandon them like everyone else has.  You look for reasons that prove your partner cares (the smallest gesture seems huge), and you make excuses for what they don’t do.  You defend your lover to your friends and family, while deluding yourself.  You know something isn’t right, but you’re so busy saving the other person that you lose yourself.

The key to the intuitive balance lesson is to learn how to give and receive.  Before you can be in a relationship with others, you must first be in a relationship with yourself.  This is not the same thing as being alone – because anyone can be alone!  Being in a relationship with yourself means treating yourself as wonderfully as you treat others.  Think about how much time, energy, and financial resources you spend on your partner in a relationship. Have you ever spent that much on yourself?  You deserve the best of you; and you cannot give your best to others, or receive from them, until you have learned how to give your best to yourself.

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Once you have mastered being in a relationship with yourself, your energy shifts. You’ll not attract, nor be attracted to, relationships that are unhealthy and need-based; you will resonate with partners who are able to give and receive, paving the way for a healthy and fulfilling want-based relationship.

The intuitive balance lesson is the key to successful and sustainable relationships. The timing is determined by you and how quickly you embrace being in a relationship with yourself.  You’ll find the perfect partner if you start by nurturing the one you already have – YOU!

 

Nan O’Brien is a nationally-known Spiritual Teacher and Intuitive Counselor. She has hosted her own nationally-syndicated radio show and appears regularly on radio stations throughout the U.S.; is a frequent contributing columnist for websites and news outlets; has authored numerous non-fiction books; and is a sought-after public speaker. In addition, she conducts personal phone appointments. For more information, please visit www.nanobrien.com.




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Comments

  • Tiffanyjoy

    Thanks for the article! Would love another that goes into more detail about “balance”.

  • Mandy

    I can personally atest to Nan O’Brien’s wisdom and advice on harnessing the assets to a meaningful and healthy relationship.  She is an amazing guide not only in relationship advice but also on how to take care of yourself so that you can better contribute to a relationship.  I can only hope that she will continue to give advice on cupidspulse and other sites as she an deliver a message like no other!  Thank you Nan!  Thank you Cupidspulse for publishing this article!

  • Jean

    Having a relationship with yourself sounds so simple and possibly a little weird, but it is so very important. You must know who you are and be comfortable and confident if you want a relationship of any kind to succeed. I think many people are lost in need relationships instead of want relationships and may not even know it. I know I was in the past. Relationships are a two way street and that give and receive element is critical. I enjoyed reading the advice in this article.

  • carol

    fantastic  article! I totally agree with Nan!  Love this line “You deserve the best of you; and you cannot give your best to others, or
    receive from them, until you have learned how to give your best to yourself.”  I am totally giving the best to myself these days and LOVING it!!!  Nan’s wisdom is invaluable and I look forward to seeing more of her articles!

  • http://www.etreacteur.fr Adrien

    thanks for this very interesting and inspiring article

  • Socoinsoho

    I definitely felt like this was speaking straight to me. It put hope in my heart and gave me something to work towards instead of just jumping from one failed relationship to another. Thanks Nan!

  • Linda

    Great article! I am working on learning that balance. Not always an easy thing to do! Thanks for the inspiration.

  • Alex Sedgley

    Brilliant article!! really interesting and so true!!

  • Kristen

    Well said Nan!  It’s all about Balance.

  • Claudette

    This is something I have been working on for a few years now.  It is a hard lesson to learn, but once you do, it is AMAZING at the change in relationships with others.  Not just love interest, but also friendships.  
    Thank you Nan for sharing this lesson with so many, as so many need to learn this.  I think we have all been taught to take care of other’s first then yourself, so to change that is a journey all it self, but once you do, you will never look back.  One of the best things that I have learned from Nan is this 
    ” Self Nurturing is NOT Selfish”    And when I am treating myself to self nourishment I repeat this statement