Why You Should Never Try to Change Your Partner

Everyone is capable of change, especially when the incentive is good. A new relationship should be enough incentive for a person to mend his or her ways and start thinking about settling down. Even if a guy or a girl is “great” as is, there are always things that he or she can change, hopefully for the better.

Change is Not a Priority, Initially

We don’t usually enter relationships thinking of change. After all, the first few months or years are still a part of the honeymoon phase, where you show your best side and vice versa. But a long term relationship will expose you to the bad side of your partner. Soon enough, you find yourself whining about this or that habit, and bickering starts. No matter how compatible you are, there are small things that will irk you, and even make you question your feelings for your partner. Whether or not you accept that side doesn’t stop you from expecting an upgrade, whether in the other person’s perspective in your new life or personality traits.

Is Love Strong Enough to Change a Person?

Wanting to please you may be enough motivation for a person to want to change. A person’s traits and viewpoints are products of experiences, habits and environment. To expect a person to change as soon as possible is asking too much. The most you can expect is for your partner to humor you this one time, do what you want, and then gradually revert back to his or her old habits when you’re not looking. Change is only permanent when the person decides that changing is the best thing he or she can do for himself or herself. He or she must want to change for the better. The motivation to change should come from the person not from you.

Is Your Partner Self-Aware Enough?

Although nothing can stop you from voicing your opinions, expecting drastic change is impossible. A person usually knows his or her limitations, the depth of which depends on how self-aware the person is. But you can bet that the person has received feedback in the past from other people, and from you, and he or she knows which points he or she is weak at. Self-awareness is key to change. Unless the person understands what “change” means, and what it would entail, expect the upgrade in perspective or attitude to come after a long time.

Maybe You’re Not Compatible?

A relationship starts to fall apart when incompatibilities crop up. The initial compatibility wasn’t simply a delusion on your part, but true compatibility means compromising and adjusting to your partner’s quirks.

It is difficult to admit that whether your partner changes or not is not up to you. It’s one of the things you can’t control at all.