You will know you have found the right person if . . .

Recently I have been pondering dating (go figure) and the various stages that my friends and I are at.  The trickiest thing about dating is that it is not enough to find someone, get them to start going on dates with you,  and then mutually like eachother enough that you continue dating, build a strong relationship, and get to the point where you could marry them.  

No - after all that effort you then come to the trickiest part of all because you must then ask yourself the question of whether you have found the right person for you (aka Mr. or Ms. Right).  As chance would have it, I was searching for a quote today and I came across this site entitled "How to Know if you are Marrying the Right Person."  

For all my friends, in all the stages of dating/marriage that they are in:     

• You will know you are marrying the right person when you feel support and encouragement about your own growth both emotionally and intellectually. The right person will want you to be emotionally healthy and able to stand on your own two feet. When you are with the right person you will feel good about yourself, safe, and fulfilled.

• The right person will not be negative, selfish, wishy washy, silent, embarrassing, critical, or a slob.  

• You will know you are marrying the right person if your future spouse says "I love you" not only in words spoken, but by loving actions. We define loving actions as doing things such as noticing when you are tired, remembering your birthday, wanting to spend time with you, listening to you, showing you respect, calling if you are running late, showing you affection, being patient with you if you don't understand something, kissing you hello and goodbye, and hugging you for no special reason.  

• The right person is someone who you like and who is your friend. The right person will enjoy spending time with you.Your love and your marriage will slowly fade if the two of you are not friends.

• The right person is kind, considerate, and polite. Little things in life such as saying 'thank you' and holding a door open may seem old fashioned, but they do reflect the amount of caring and kindness in a person.  

• Having different likes and different opinions is okay as long as the two of you agree to disagree. Although you may not always agree with one another, conversations with the right person will be interesting and not boring. The right person will communicate thoughts and feelings with you and will not keep hurts and concerns bottled up inside.  

• Understanding that the only constant in life is change, the right person is willing to discuss marriage issues, questions, and topics with you both before and after you get married.  

• The right person will encourage you to make decisions to live a healthy lifestyle by eating healthier foods and getting exercise. The right person will want to work with you to balance your work and personal lives.

• The right person is willing to share in the responsibilities of your home and future children.

•  The right person will trust you and not monitor your phone calls, or computer usage, or limit the amount of time you spend with others you care about. You will know you are marrying the right person if your future spouse does not try to isolate you from your family and friends. You not only need to belong to family, friends, groups, etc., you have the right to do so. The right person in your life will not try to control your life but will want to share a life with you. 

• You shouldn't have to defend wanting privacy or time alone. You will know you are marrying the right person when you are not questioned about your need for time alone or personal space. 

• Finding the right person doesn't mean that the two of you won't have difficulties or differences to deal with. However, with the right person you will know that the two of you will be able to work through the issues that could hurt your relationship. The way you handle disagreements and conflict shows psychologists more than what you fight about.  

Taken from Marriage.About.Com - How to Know if you are Marrying the Right Person