What happens when you find someone that you truly enjoy being with but then discover that the two of you have a lot of lifestyle differences? Do you just abandon the potential relationship because you have a different opinion on veganism, wake up at a different time, or work in a blue-collar job by choice? According to the experts on cupid.com changing is irreversible. In time, you adjust to each other in terms of things like schedule and food choices while accommodating other aspects. If you are willing to try, you can build a strong relationship.
Be Ready or What Can Change?
There are two general ways that you can approach a relationship with lifestyle differences. You can either be prepared to talk about the differences, or you can look for ways to change. If you’ve been in love with driving a forklift as a job but you have a college degree, then it might be good to get a desk job to support a family and make a relationship work. You can either draw lines in the sand or change things that will make the relationship easier to manage.
Finding a Compromise
Compromising on things to build a strong relationship will allow you to meet in the middle on issues that would otherwise cause the two of you to have a fight. So, if you’re vegan and your date isn’t, then maybe they could prepare their own food or eat vegan once a week or such. It’s not about forcing another person to change; it’s about making sure that you can manage the differences between you.
How to Deal with Differences Online
Differences online are simultaneously harder and easier to solve. In one sense, online dating has introduced people to the idea that there are always many more people out there for them to meet and date. While that is certainly true, the fact of the matter is that it makes people less willing to settle for someone that isn’t “perfect” for them. Still, if you find someone that you want to work with to build a strong relationship, you can compromise online. Work through your differences in terms of when to date, how long to stay online before meeting, and what kinds of media you use to communicate. These are all things that you and your partner can decide on together. You’ll make it work as long as you’re willing to have a willingness to change or be flexible about some things.
Happy Stories of Couples with Lifestyle Differences
Couples work around lifestyle differences every day around the globe. Many people have dated and married people that are from a different religious background as them. That’s perhaps the biggest difference you can have with someone, and they managed to keep their religion private or even convert to their partner’s religion. People have also worked around things like job placement that requires moving across the country to be with someone that makes them happy. They’ve even dated online for the first year of their relationship until they felt completely secure to be with one another. The number of happy stories of people that have lifestyle differences is both immense and easy to find examples of in the modern world.
Finding partners that have everything in common with you is almost impossible. However, if you have just enough in common, you will find ways to make it work. All you have to do is be willing to put in some hard work, and you and your partner will build a strong relationship. No relationship worth having is served up on a silver platter.
