The Rules of Love

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. The Rules of Love
3. Contents (1/2)
4. Contents (2/2)
5. Introduction
6. Rules for Finding Love
   1. Be yourself
   2. Get over it before you get on with it
   3. You won’t be happy with a partner until you can be happy on your own
   4. You’ll know them when you meet them
   5. Choose someone who makes you laugh
   6. Being less than a hundred percent attractive is a great filter
   7. Don’t keep making the same mistakes
   8. Certain people are off limits (you know who they are)
   9. You can’t change people
   10. Relationships aren’t about sex
   11. Get to know someone through all the seasons before making any major decisions
   12. Don’t stay with someone who doesn’t care
   13. If you can’t trust them, you haven’t got a relationship
   14. Be honest (while you still have the chance)
   15. Don’t play games
   16. Don’t tar new partners with old brushes
   17. Check you both have the same shared goals
   18. You can’t make someone love you
   19. Be cruel to be kind
7. Relationship Rules
   1. Be nice
   2. Be together because you want to, not because you need to
   3. Allow your partner the space to be themselves
   4. Look to your own faults
   5. Be honourable
   6. Put each other first
   7. Recognize the signs
   8. Be a hero – or a heroine
   9. Accept the differences, embrace what you have in common
   10. Don’t belittle your partner
   11. You want to do what?
   12. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath
   13. Be the first to say sorry
   14. Houston, we have a problem
   15. Don’t put them on a pedestal and expect them to stay there
   16. Know when to listen and when to act
   17. Never stop trying to be attractive
   18. If you can say something nice, do
   19. Don’t try to be their parent
   20. Be part of their life
   21. If little things annoy you, say so – with humour
   22. Go that extra step in trying to please them
   23. Make sure your partner is always pleased to see you
   24. Don’t dump responsibility on your partner
   25. Let them know if you don’t like their friends
   26. Jealousy is your stuff, not theirs
   27. Your partner is more important than your kids
   28. Make time for romance
   29. Have a passion for your life together
   30. Share the workload
   31. Trust the other one to do the job
   32. Don’t be a nag
   33. Make sure your love making is making love
   34. Don’t control them
   35. Listen to what they’re not saying
   36. Most everyday arguments are about something else
   37. Respect privacy
   38. Treat your partner better than your best friend
   39. Don’t be offended if they want some space
   40. Men like flowers too
   41. Keep your finances separate
   42. Contentment is a high aim
   43. Be generous to each other financially
   44. You make a choice every day
   45. Don’t be a martyr
   46. You don’t both have to have the same rules
   47. Put yourself in their shoes
   48. In-laws are part of the package
   49. Keep talking
8. Rules for Parting
   1. Listen to your own internal voice
   2. Recognize that it takes two
   3. Keep the moral high ground
   4. Don’t keep raking it over
   5. Leave the kids out of it
9. Family Rules
   1. Don’t blame your parents
   2. Don’t let your parents control your feelings
   3. Your children come before you
   4. Nothing is worth falling out over
   5. Treat them the way you believe is right, no matter how they treat you
   6. Don’t pressurize your family just because you can
   7. Never be too busy for loved ones
   8. Your children need to fall out with you to leave home
   9. They don’t have to be the same as you
   10. There’s always stuff with siblings
   11. Let go of your role
10. Friendship Rules
    1. There are no rules
    2. Your best friend was once a stranger
    3. Only have people in your life who, on balance, make it better not worse
    4. If you’re going to be a friend, be a good friend
    5. Never give advice
    6. Find friends who love the truth
    7. Never lend money unless you’re prepared to write it off
    8. If you don’t like their partner, tough
    9. When one finger points forwards, three point back
    10. Friendships change
    11. Know when to let go
    12. Bitterness helps no one
11. Rules for Everyone
    1. Guilt is a selfish emotion
    2. Love equals time
    3. The more you put out, the more you get back
    4. Other people are where it’s at