To some people, talking about their emotions is like talking about something that doesn't exist. Some people think emotions are meaningless and unimportant. And I'd understand how someone could think that way, especially if somewhere along the way they learned that their emotions didn't matter no matter how much you talked about them.

Conflict is one of those things that makes people so horribly uncomfortable they would rather stomach their negative feelings than invite their trusted ones to support them. At its core, conflict is just a moment in which our needs are mismatched. The invitation to support each other through conflict is a commitment to grow together through change, especially when we’re coming from different places.

Trust is weird because the only way to earn it is to be given it. But, we give out our trust — unearned — all the time without having any evidence that the people we give it to are deserving. And we do it because trusting other people starts with trusting ourselves.

Connection is one of the basic human needs. We need each other, not only to survive, but to be fulfilled, to make meaning, and to develop purpose. ]We see that people in healthy, secure relationships are able to welcome and adapt to change whereas other attachment styles cannot.

If you want to be dating with purpose, you have to learn to initiate. Whether you’re initiating the second date, initiating sexual intimacy, or initiating a conversation about building conflict, initiation is the key to keeping your relationship healthy. Being able to initiate something between you and your partner(s) gives you power in your relationship, and when all partners have access to that power, we get these beautiful, balanced, and fulfilling relationships.