This is a reprint from my newsletter from 2005:
A healthy relationship with a significant other (spouse, partner, boy- or girlfriend) can only become as strong and nurturing as your love for yourself (love your neighbor as you love yourself). So that is the first relationship to nurture.
Each of us must grow and develop as an individual, taking responsibility for our own well-being. If we seek fulfillment from another, we overstrain the relationship and set up disappointment, rejection and resentment. The Jerry McGuire line, “You complete me,” makes great romance in film but is a set-up for stress or even failure in a relationship. Ironically, the more we take care of ourselves, the more complete we feel in relationship to a loved one.