Respect is the foundation for love to grow out of. Respect usually comes from having similar values & beliefs. I have seen where those differences have torn relationships apart when it seemed not to matter in the beginning with a live conquers all attitude.....WRONG when life together REALLY starts to happen.

A REAL emoeional connection not just on the surface & the abiluty to communicate with each other, hearing & understanding whete each other is coming from, not where YOU THINK they are coming from.

Transparency is key. Knowing each other like you know yourself & being willing to shiw yiyr real selves ti each other nit jyst wgat yiu want the ither oersin to see or know.

Understanding, compassion, caring, valudating each others feelings but willingly be able to discuss them withoyt the goal of changing the other person.

I could probably write a book on all I learned about what a good relationshipvshould be like from the bad one I lived in for 33 years & am still dealung with trying to get the divorce resolved.

If there are red flags, I suggest walking away before making the relationship permanent but that was based on my experience. I stated all my boundaries before the wedding after realuzing there were attitudes in him that I didn't like. I was hoping he would decide to back out but if he agreed to my boundaries then it might work. Well he agreed with everything I demanded. When I finally left him I questioned him about his agreeing before the wedding. He told me that he didn't believe I meant what I said & would change my mind after we got married. I never changed my mind on my boundaries because they were based on my expectation of what I wanted in my marriage relationship. So even when you try to nail it, sometimes the ither persin is so dysfunctional they don't respond normally. If I had just held onto the red flags & said no I really din't like your attitudes I would have called off tbe wedding.

Also make sure you spend time together to know that their actions & words are the same. If there is a contradiction somewhere there is a lie going on that needs to come iut & either be resolved itherwise grounds to end the relationship as it only gets worse with time & the mire obvious things like this become with time.

Yes, common interests & yiyr iwn interests..just make sure your own ibterests don't turn into a way of avoiding priblems in tbe relationship.

This is just the surface level of what I have learned & what will become important IF Ibever encounter someone who might be a possible relationship.