How Do You Know When You've Found the One?

1. When you are comfortable in any setting with them.

I encourage all couples who are interested in furthering their relationships toward marriage to explore lots of different types of settings before tying the knot. Spend time with your significant other's extended family. Try going to the mall together. Professional sporting events. Birthday parties. Go overseas together if you can. The more places that you are able to spend time together the better because you will be able to see how your significant other responds to his or her surroundings. Ask yourself, do I admire the way my significant other takes in the world?

2. When you get their humor and they get yours.

The person that you hope to spend the rest of your life with should be amusing to you. Life is serious enough. Stress can get difficult to handle and part of the way of coping with life is to find humor in the little things of life. Your significant other should be able to be the one person who can always make you laugh, or at least help you crack a smile every now and then.

3. When you have found a common life goal or purpose together.

Life is full of vision, mission and purpose. You know you have found the one to be with when they share the same values, desires, and drives in life. For example, if you both feel strongly about helping fight world hunger and you both want to travel overseas for mission projects, then this could be a tremendously great indication that you have found the one.

4. When you are comfortable with them around friends.

Keeping your friends throughout life is important. The integration of introducing your friends to your significant other can be a little nerve-wracking sometimes. When you sense that your friends feel happy and comfortable with you and your person, this can be a great indication that you're with a great person.

5. When you are comfortable with them around family.

Our families can be complex! Some people get along great with their parents, siblings and extended family well and then some do not. If you have healthy relationships with your family and trust them, then introducing your significant other to them will occur. If you feel relatively at ease around your family and your partner, then this could be a sign that you are with the right person.

6. You enjoy some of the same hobbies.

Couples should have some hobbies that they can share together. Whether it's camping, hiking, dancing, gaming, writing, traveling, athletic events, photography, anime, or concerts couples need to have regular hobbies that they can enjoy together. The memories created from experiencing hobbies together are very powerful for the overall bonding of a couple.

7. When you can envision a future together.

How does your significant other talk? Do they mention long-term plans or dreams with you included? If you're both able to talk about a future together with great ease, then this could be a hopeful indication that things are leading to a lifelong commitment to one another.

8. When you are able to acknowledge their weaknesses.

Rose colored glasses do not last forever. At first couples have a lot of emotions, hype, and they tend to see no wrong in their partners. At some point in the relationship, you will start to notice more of your significant other's weaknesses. If you find that even despite their weaknesses, that you still admire them for the core of who they are, then you may be headed down the right pathway with them.

9. When you are able to learn how to get through conflict together constructively.

Life is full of curveballs. Inevitably, you will experience some conflict with your significant other and this tests the relationships sustainably. Take a little bit of time to see how the conflict made the relationship stronger or did it make things weaker? Did you feel as if you could trust your significant other through the conflict or did it put trust into question? This point is a bit more complex to analyze, but I think it's important to bring up here.

10. When you are still excited to see them even though you've been together for years.

There is nothing more confirming about the strength of a relationship, than the test of time and consistency. If it's been several years and you feel that your significant other truly cares for you and loves you for you, then it could be time to work toward marriage.

I truly wish you all the best with your relationships!