Genius. Everyone, please read why you should treat your partner like your dog.
Jonathan Mead begins this post by saying “The biggest factor in determining the quality of our relationship is the way we view other people, particularly our partner.” Yep, that’s what I’ve been saying all along! How you change how you view other people? By changing yourself, not other people.
We get disappointed with other people quite often. They aren’t as attentive as we imagine they would be, and we invent reasons as to why they’d torture us so. Odds are, they have no idea they’re neglecting us. Clearly, when it comes to relationships, we need to lower our expectations a bit.
Yeah, you read that right. We saddle people with the burden of unrealistic expectations, we never make those expectations clear, and then we get angry when they’re not met. Does that sound fair to you? If you were in school and you had a professor that handled papers and exams that way, you probably wouldn’t do too well in the class.
So, if you treat your loved one like they’re supposed to be able to read your mind, you’re setting yourself up for a miserable and very short-lived relationship. Instead, treat them like you would a dog: as someone who is honest, faithful, understanding and eager to please, if only you’d teach them not to chew on your shoes. Lower your expectations, and they’ll be exceeded every time.
