Inside every man is a little boy who just wants to be happy and loved.
But the man in front of you has learned to settle for other things.
He’s learned that it’s foolish to want happiness and love. Real men demand status and respect. They don’t bother with those “soft” emotions.
But the little boy inside him never vanishes completely.
That little boy still wants what he’s always wanted.
To be loved and approved of.
To be happy and make his family happy.
For everything to be okay.
Every woman should understand that secret desire at the heart of every man…
Because it gives her the power to inspire his utter devotion.
Give him these 3 gifts, and he will be yours.
Gift #1. Acceptance
The first gift, which I talked about last week, is acceptance.
It’s okay for him to be who he is.
You don’t need him to be the shining prince of your dreams. Being himself is good enough for you.
He has flaws and he makes mistakes, but no big deal. You have your own flaws, and you make mistakes, too.
Gift #2. Affection
Children crave affection.
They crave smiles, hugs, cuddles, and approval.
You can never give a child too much affection. Affection is like soul food.
It says, “I like who you are, I think you’re amazing, and I really enjoy being with you.”
Do you often show your guy that you like who he is, you think he’s amazing, and you enjoy being with him?
Or do you end up focusing on what he’s doing and what needs to be done next and what you need to tell him?
It’s perfectly normal to find your relationship becoming more practical than romantic over time.
You’ve been together for so long. You’re used to each other.
But you’re at a crossroads. You can go in one of two directions:
- You can get irritated by each other. The little things you used to shrug off become harder to dismiss. You decide you can’t be happy together unless you “fix” those things about each other. (This is the course most relationships take.)
- You can practice gratitude. You deliberately adopt the perspective that you are incredibly lucky to have found this person. You show your affection through simple daily habits. You work on practicing love even if you don’t always feel it.
Feelings are less important in long-term relationships than you might imagine.
It’s not enough to feel grateful for your relationship.
It’s not even enough to feel love for your partner.
Your partner can’t tell how you feel. All he knows is how you act towards him.
So make it a daily habit to show affection through your actions.
Lingering gazes. Affectionate touch. Gentle teasing with warmth and fondness.
In fact, there’s a super-simple way to show affection that works like a charm:
Catch his gaze and smile.
Ever noticed how so many long-term couples barely look at each other any more? Don’t be that. 😉
Look at him like you’d look at a work of art.
With appreciation, amazement, and pleasure.
(And if you can’t do that, here’s a sneaky trick. Consider how he looks to someone who’s not in a relationship with him. Maybe there’s a twenty-something girl in his office who sits a little bit straighter every time he passes by. What does she see when she looks at him?)
Let us know what you think!