1. They communicate

It all starts from how much you believe and act on communicating to each other. Smart couples build on this and enliven their relationships. They always find ways to communicate their needs and feelings to each other. It all starts from saying the right words and appreciating the other person the best way possible.

2. They do things together

It could be going out to shop for grocery and food items together or cooking together. Long term couples always enjoy doing things together. Some even go further to make interesting games out of their activities together like going to food store and first picking out three items for the other person.

3. They let things go

There is no point in fighting over seemingly little things and hold on to them to certain hurts to even a score. Long term couples understand that imperfect moments have built up to the point where they just have to be tolerant of the other person. While some issues like finances, career paths and kids could be worth having serious discussions on, many minor issues have to be discarded.

4. They visit some new destinations together

Smart couples take advantage of new experiences and finding joy in new activities. Retreading new grounds or repeating the same activities over and over again doesn’t create new moments to be cherished. Smart couples do well to revitalize their relationship by putting themselves in new situations that will cause new experiences.

5. They offer their partners some space

Being in a relationship is a full time job. And it can become exhausting when there is no vacuum to get into yourself and be alone. Sometimes the best way to create sparkle into your relationship is to deliberately take some distance from your partner. Recognizing that your partner also needs sometime alone can make them appreciate you better.

6. They give to each other with no strings attached

Smart couples don’t give to each other and don’t expect anything in return. Offering gifts are great to reawaken the other person that you care about him/her. When smart couples offer gifts to each other they do so from the heart and that is what matters, it is not about how much the gift item is worth rather it is the expression that counts. This helps smart couples to get the best out of their relationship in the long term.

7. They surprise each other

Who doesn’t love to be surprised the ideal way? Smart couples make the most out of surprising their partners. It could be by paying them a surprise visit and taking them out for lunch or simply to remind them that you have been thinking about them and you want to do something special to appreciate their value in your world. You don’t have to make surprises irritating or make it seem as if you are stalking them, rather you have to be attentive to what your partner likes and would appreciate.

8. They set goals together

This doesn’t just help to strengthen their long term relationship, it also builds their ambition. Smart couples sit down to discuss where they want to be in two years, three years with their finances, kids, jobs and neighborhood. They don’t just set these goals, they also aim for how they will accomplish it together. They seek each others opinion on the subjects and how it could be beneficial to their health, happiness and comfort. Even when such can be done separately, smart people take advantage of doing such together to make enliven their relationships. Featured photo credit: http://www.flickr.com via flickr.com