Fulfilment in a relationship is what people constantly seek. Indeed, it begins with an extensive knowledge of self, before that of your partner. The fact is, it would be hard to be fully satisfied with your relationship if you cannot first be satisfied with yourself. According to Gary Chapman, there are 5 love languages which represent 5 ways to express love.

• Words of affirmation: This consists in showering your partner with sweet words, appreciating them, noticing and encouraging them for their efforts.
• Quality time: This love language is all about spending time doing fun things together as a couple. It could be going for a walk, going on a date together, playing a game or just spending time cuddling. The aim here is just to spend some time together, reassuring each other of your love.
• Gifts: You could offer random gifts to your partner without necessarily waiting for some specific day to do so (birthday, Christmas, etc…). By so doing, your partner understands that you had them in mind.
• Acts of service: This love language is expressed by lending help or assistance. It could be assisting your partner in house chores, in a project or any other endeavour. If acts of service are your partner’s love language, you acting accordingly will make your relationship happier and fulfilled.
• Physical touch: Expressing this love language will entail holding hands, cuddling, kissing, and other physical expression of tenderness.

Knowing your love language and that of your partner is knowing what will make you satisfied in your relationship. You can keep the flame burning in your relationship. Sometimes, as the relationship evolves, lovers tend to get into a routine, neglecting the needful acts of kindness to focus on daily challenges. That said, to have a fulfilled love life, here are some things to do:

• Stick to each other: Your partner is your friend, your better half. Together, you form a team and you must never forget that you can count on him or her.
• Communicate: Practice non-violent communication in your couple, such that you always pay attention to your partner’s need (Include the link of the article on NVC).
• Learn how to deal with your conflicts: Disputes are common to all couples. However, you must device means to handle your disagreements in a constructive manner, without attacking your partner’s personality during reprimands.
• Spend quality time together: Be it during sports/shopping, at dinner or while travelling together, you must set out time to be alone with your partner (away from the children if you have any), to remember why you love each other.
• Do not compare yourselves to others: Sometimes dissatisfaction in a relationship creeps in from merely trying to measure up to others. By so doing, we could sometimes be blinded to all the efforts put in by our partner to make us happy.

To conclude, achieving fulfilment in one’s love relationship requires MUTUAL investment, genuine communication and a constant desire to cultivate love and togetherness. The path towards a successful couple life is paved with patience and tolerance. Indeed, it is by nurturing admiration, gratitude and mutual respect that partners can continue to grow together and flourish.
NB: It takes two to tango. By yourself alone, it is just not possible to bring about the much desired fulfilment in your love life. Both partners must actively work towards that goal.