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.

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.

Surely you know communication isn’t a one way street, but what if you aren’t the best communicator? Maybe you like to have time to think before you speak, or maybe you aren’t so great at putting your feelings into words. Every person has their own communication preferences and limitations — which means each person also has their own challenges to becoming a top tier communicator.