How healthy couples deal with conflicting desires
One of the most common conflicts in a relationship arises from the fact that we have different desires that cannot be met at the same time. We all have experienced situations like; One person likes to watch adventure movies, the other prefers comedies, one likes to spend money on improving the house, the other wants to save the money for larger investments in the future. In reality, conflicting desires can be negotiated easily if both partners develop a pattern of give and take. Here are a few principles that can help making sure that conflicting desires do not lead to conflicts in the relationship. 1). Check the motives for your preferences Some of the things that seem to be extremely important to you may not be your true desires_ seeing them met will not give you real fulfillment, but only some temporary satisfaction, which soon will give room to new things that you “must” have or do. 2). Empathize with your spouse’s desires and understand their importance Your spouse’