How to improve your self confidence in a relationship

In a relationship self-confidence is very important. Although you have become a couple, you still need to have your own sense of self, your own thoughts and opinions, and confidence to stand alone should you ever need or want to. A lack of confidence in you can actually ruin a relationship, because other people will expect to give and receive freely, and that takes self-confidence.

To improve your self-confidence in a relationship you first need to isolate the self-defeating chatter that goes on in your head. We all have this chatter, even the most self-confident people do. Our confidence in ourselves wavers from moment to moment depending on our interactions with family, friends, co-workers, and our overall success. Some days we may feel more self-confident than others, and this is normal. What is not normal is to continually feel badly about you.

Listen as you go about your day and really think about what you tell yourself about your inability to please your mate, or your lack of communication skills in your relationship, or whatever it may be. When you find these phrases, and you will, counter them with something you know proves the negative phrase wrong. Even if there is only one instance, have your rebuttal ready. Sooner or later, you’ll start you’ll start to believe all the good things are true! And, they are. Your mate will really appreciate the renewed sense of self.

Once you’ve begun to defy the negative commentary you really need to nurture yourself. Celebrate your up and coming confidence, you ability to love, communicate, and give to the person you love. Self-nurturing is important, so indulge in something you like to do and push yourself to do better, reach higher, and be more confident in all ways. Nurturing yourself will help you feel like you have the right to be in a good relationship, to be treated well, and to be appreciated for treating others well.

Don’t fall into old routines. Once you let your guard down, those old negative comments will come flooding back in. Always stand ready to defeat that commentary with a good thought. Self-confidence is important and your attempts at bettering yourself shouldn’t fall to the side. It takes self-confidence to ask for what you want in a relationship and you don’t want to get to the point where you can’t get what you want because you’re afraid to ask. You don’t want to be stuck in a dead end relationship because you don’t have the confidence.

You deserve a kind, loving, beautiful relationship. Self-confidence is key to a wonderful relationship. It’s the bottom line for believing you deserve to be in such a relationship, and then taking the appropriate steps to make it happen. No one deserves to be unhappy, and if you’re suffering from low self-esteem, it’s in your hands. Talk yourself out of that troubled relationship! It really is as easy as that!

As your self-confidence improves you will actually learn to ask for what you want, and that will make you, and your mate or potential love interest much happier in the long run! Go out there and get what you’ve been dreaming of!

Making a man Fall in Love with You

it's not often that we come face-to-face with the man of our dreams. If you meet a man that you instantly click with it's easy to let your imagination take the lead.

As women, we dream about finding the perfect mate and when we think we have, we'll do almost anything to ensure he feels the same way. Making a man fall in love with you is really a mixture of many different things.

There obviously needs to be mutual attraction and timing plays an important role too. There are specific things you can do though that can help guide him in the direction of falling in love with you.

No two men are alike but many men find certain qualities in a woman attractive. It's not impossible to make yourself irresistible to virtually any man if you understand what men find appealing.

Making a man fall in love with you should begin with presenting yourself in the best possible light. This includes your appearance. This certainly doesn't mean that you need to lose weight or have any nips or tucks done. It does mean you need to accentuate what you have. This means dressing appropriately for your body shape and for your age.

It also means taking a little time to style your hair and apply some make up. If you show the man you adore that you value yourself, he's bound to value you more as well.

This holds true when it comes to your individual pursuits as well. If you are passionate about your career or furthering your education you are going to be more attractive to the opposite sex.

Making a man fall in love with you includes showing him that you are someone worth loving. Men love women who have their own interests and who aren't willing to compromise those things just because a man enters the picture.

The man in your life should feel as though you are making room for him, not replacing your life for his. Never give up the things you love just because you fall in love with a man. If you do this you'll eventually become boring to him. Stay focused on your own goals and the things you enjoy.

You should also be willing to compromise if you are trying to make a man fall in love with you. Even though you may have your heart set on a dinner out, he may decide he wants to go see a game. Men love women who are flexible and spontaneous.

Never try and steal him away from his friends or guilt him into choosing you over them. If you are supportive of the other people in his life, he'll be incredibly attracted to how giving and understanding you are. Show him that you love every part of him and he'll do the same in return to you.

First Kiss Tips and Advice on Kissing

Love and sex are among the things that make our lives better and increase our pleasure to live. But every good thing has a less pleasurable side and one must admit that a lot of stress is associated with these delightful activities.

The first touch, the first kiss, the first evening out, the first night spent together, all these key moments of the early part of a relationship can be very stressful for both partners. Some people think that these moments can make or break relationships, but the issue is still up for debate.

Not everybody gets it right the first time and many first nights spent together are not that great. It takes time to learn what the other likes, wants and looks for in and out of bed, so there are bound to be a lot of early fumbles and mistakes. On the plus side, these awkward moments may end up as sweet memories two lovers can laugh about years later. Still, a mistake is a mistake and the fewer one does, the better off everybody is.

Since you both are most likely to be nervous the first time, make sure you set the stage for this event. When you feel you are both comfortable with each other and that your relationship has advanced enough to warrant a more intimate approach, make a plan for the setting of the first kiss. Choose a location you are familiar with and whose main feature is intimacy.

There is also an ungodly amount of hype surrounding first kisses. The two partners should, allegedly, hear bells ringing or feel like having a thousand butterflies in their stomachs and other such nonsense. Don’t let such ideas put you off if the first kiss was not followed by a huge display of fireworks. Cherish it as the first step toward what may prove to be a special relationship and move forward. In other words, kiss her because you both feel like it, not because it’s some sort of ritual, and do it at your own pace and in your own style.

If you are not certain of what she wants or likes, then don’t rush into a French kiss. Brush your lips gently against hers, look into her eyes for the confirmation and then come back for a second try with a more resolute approach. If she does not recoil, then you can be a bit more firm. But the gentle brushing is a very good idea for the first kiss. It will net you points for both control and tenderness.

Unless you are the type who jumps head first into anything and just hopes for the best, you may want to actually take a moment and think about this before doing anything. A lonely bench in the park at sunset is a good idea. The doorstep of her parents’ house is not. Don’t make a hasty affair of the first kiss because your girlfriend is very likely to remember this for a long time afterwards. Pick a quiet spot, where nobody is going to bustle in on you just as you’re getting ready to share a pleasant moment. Make sure your hygiene is fit for this occasion: no bad breath, no smelly body.

No fancy stuff on the first kiss. There’ll be time enough for this later on. Don’t spoil the moment by trying something really special and making a mess of it. Stick to a slow and gentle kiss that paves the way for the more advanced stuff to come. Just focus on sliding into each other’s arms, finding a comfortable position and kissing away to heart’s content. If you can pull this off without a hitch, then you can say your first kiss with that partner was a complete success.

How to say I Love You in 100 Languages

How to say I Love You in 100 Languages

English - I love you
Afrikaans - Ek het jou lief
Albanian - Te dua
Arabic - Ana behibak (to male)
Arabic - Ana behibek (to female)
Armenian - Yes kez sirumem
Bambara - M'bi fe
Bengali - Ami tomake bhalobashi (pronounced: Amee toe-ma-kee bhalo-bashee)
Belarusian - Ya tabe kahayu
Bisaya - Nahigugma ako kanimo
Bulgarian - Obicham te
Cambodian - Soro lahn nhee ah
Catalan - T'estimo
Cherokee - Tsi ge yu i
Cheyenne - Ne mohotatse
Chichewa - Ndimakukonda
Chinese
Cantonese - Ngo oiy ney a
Mandarin - Wo ai ni
Comanche - U kamakutu nu
(pronounced oo----ka-ma-koo-too-----nu) -- Thx Tony
Corsican - Ti tengu caru (to male)
Cree - Kisakihitin
Creol - Mi aime jou
Croatian - Volim te
Czech - Miluji te
Danish - Jeg Elsker Dig
Dutch - Ik hou van jou
Elvish - Amin mela lle (from The Lord of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien)
Esperanto - Mi amas vin
Estonian - Ma armastan sind
Ethiopian - Afgreki'
Faroese - Eg elski teg
Farsi - Doset daram
Filipino - Mahal kita
Finnish - Mina rakastan sinua
French - Je t'aime, Je t'adore
Frisian - Ik hald fan dy
Gaelic - Ta gra agam ort
Georgian - Mikvarhar
German - Ich liebe dich
Greek - S'agapo
Gujarati - Hoo thunay prem karoo choo
Hiligaynon - Palangga ko ikaw
Hawaiian - Aloha Au Ia`oe
Hebrew
To female - "ani ohev otach" (said by male) "ohevet Otach" (said by female)
To male - "ani ohev otcha" (said by male) "Ohevet ot'cha" (said by female)
Hiligaynon - Guina higugma ko ikaw
Hindi - Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hae
Hmong - Kuv hlub koj
Hopi - Nu' umi unangwa'ta
Hungarian - Szeretlek
Icelandic - Eg elska tig
Ilonggo - Palangga ko ikaw
Indonesian - Saya cinta padamu
Inuit - Negligevapse
Irish - Taim i' ngra leat
Italian - Ti amo
Japanese - Aishiteru or Anata ga daisuki desu
Kannada - Naanu ninna preetisuttene
Kapampangan - Kaluguran daka
Kiswahili - Nakupenda
Konkani - Tu magel moga cho
Korean - Sarang Heyo or Nanun tangshinul sarang hamnida
Latin - Te amo
Latvian - Es tevi miilu
Lebanese - Bahibak
Lithuanian - Tave myliu
Luxembourgeois - Ech hun dech gaer
Macedonian - Te Sakam
Malay - Saya cintakan mu / Aku cinta padamu
Malayalam - Njan Ninne Premikunnu
Maltese - Inhobbok
Marathi - Me tula prem karto
Mohawk - Kanbhik
Moroccan - Ana moajaba bik
Nahuatl - Ni mits neki
Navaho - Ayor anosh'ni
Ndebele - Niyakutanda
Norwegian
Bokmaal - Jeg elsker deg
Nyonrsk - Eg elskar deg
Pandacan - Syota na kita!!
Pangasinan - Inaru Taka
Papiamento - Mi ta stimabo
Persian - Doo-set daaram
Pig Latin - Iay ovlay ouyay
Polish - Kocham Ciebie
Portuguese - Eu te amo
Romanian - Te iubesc
Russian - Ya tebya liubliu
Scot Gaelic - Tha gra\dh agam ort
Serbian - Volim te
Setswana - Ke a go rata
Sign Language - ,\,,/ (represents position of fingers when signing 'I Love You')
Sindhi - Maa tokhe pyar kendo ahyan
Sioux - Techihhila
Slovak - Lu`bim ta
Slovenian - Ljubim te
Spanish - Te quiero / Te amo
Swahili - Ninapenda wewe
Swedish - Jag alskar dig
Swiss-German - Ich lieb Di
Surinam - Mi lobi joe
Tagalog - Mahal kita
Taiwanese - Wa ga ei li
Tahitian - Ua Here Vau Ia Oe
Tamil - Nan unnai kathalikaraen
Telugu - Nenu ninnu premistunnanu
Thai
To female - Phom rak khun
To male - Chan rak khun
Informal - Rak te
Tunisian - Ha eh bak
Turkish - Seni Seviyorum
Ukrainian - Ya tebe kahayu
Urdu - mai aap say pyaar karta hoo
Vietnamese
To female - Anh ye^u em
To male - Em ye^u anh
Welsh - 'Rwy'n dy garu di
Yiddish - Ikh hob dikh
Yoruba - Mo ni fe
Zazi - Ezhele hezdege
Zuni - Tom ho' ichema

What Men Really Want In Modern Relationships

Tips on what's really on men's minds when it comes to love and sex

Women often say that men confuse them and that they are unsure what a man is really looking for. They have tried to please them in the past and it hasn't worked so no, the man can concentrate on pleasing them or leave. If the media is to be believed, many women don't care what a man is looking for anymore because they have been empowered by their own sexuality and are comfortable in their new role as sexually liberated career woman in charge of their own destiny. In which case, as long as the man wants them, that is fine.

It doesn't matter whether that view is actually true or not. What is true is that the modern man is increasingly struggling to find his place in the world. The Armed Forces and Space programs quite rightly have very highly qualified career women working in their departments and in most aspects of industry, women excel. The old male bastions are crumbling and with them their innate self respect as well as their understanding of how they should act and what they desire.

Any woman reading this may say well it's a problem for men and they should deal with it. Absolutely, but you cannot expect miracles instantly. Generations of history dictating a man's role and function cannot be decided and altered in the space of 20 years without some fallout. Few can argue against the excitement felt by women as their empowerment continues but at the same time, one must expect issues to coincide with this. And one of those as I said is the question of understanding what the modern man is looking for.

Men have started to evolve and are starting to grasp the fact that their role may not be as it once was. "Starting" is the operative word because this does not mean that there aren't large swathes of the world where men insist on being the breadwinner and women should still remain at home rearing children. It is going to take a long time to change the world. However in our western cities a change is in full swing. Men know that to find a mate they are going to have to work harder than ever before and they are aware that women call the shots far more than ever before. But this doesn't essentially change what a man is looking for.

Okay so what is a man seeking?

• First of all a man is seeking a love-interest. This may surprise many women but men like to love and they like being loved in return. The problem is that many women come across as impassioned and cold. It is not easy to find a loving woman and it is very noticeable how many men try and hang on when they think they have found their Miss Right.

• Men are seeking a woman who is attractive to them. Women may despair that men can be so shallow and that looks could matter so much but be careful. Men aren't necessarily looking for a catwalk model and many men don't like women who weigh 80lbs. But men do want a woman who takes pride in their appearance (though not excessively). Men are proud of having a girlfriend who looks good and I don't believe any man who says otherwise.

• Men are looking for a trustworthy girl, someone they can have faith in and someone who will be there for them. This may sound like an odd thing to say, but the fact is, some women are not trustworthy and many are not faithful either. So many in fact that men are increasingly wary. That kiss at a Christmas party may not count, or the flirtatious behavior with the gorgeous barman and in fact its all great fun and part of a woman's character. But reverse the situation and as a woman, you hate him doing the same. A man can never forgive a woman being unfaithful and so he is looking for someone who he really does trust.

• Men want to make a home eventually and are looking for a woman who will be a willing sharer in home life. Women with a sociable lifestyle are attractive because they can be relied upon to keep the social diary running in a long term relationship.

• Men are seeking women who are feminine gentle and kind because deep down the qualities that make a woman a great mother are an attraction in themselves. I am not suggesting that the man himself needs mothering, though some do, it is more the point that men seek the attributes in women that point to someone who would make a great mother to future offspring.

• Men want women with a great sense of humor. Women often come across as uptight or too bothered by too many small details. You will sometimes hear mention of a girl who is 'one of the boys'. What this means is that she is able to fit in with their humor and is sociable and fun to be with. Such women are extremely attractive to many men. Men want to have a good time and relax when not working and so their ideal partners are women who are able to do the same.

• Men are looking for women who retain their femininity and and are caring and kind. In recent years, aping men may be a female fashion statement, but it doesn't make them attractive. Whilst every woman in the world burps and farts and has the right to drink pints of beer, it doesn't necessarily attract them to the opposite sex. Women can get angry and say well men will just have to get used to it, but the issue is that they don't. They can just choose not to go for women who act in the same way as their drinking buddies.

• Men want someone who is supportive. Many women are quick to criticize men in their behavior, career and set about trying to alter them and mould them. This is a crucial mistake. Men can be manipulated yes, but they see their partnerships as support systems. The best relationships work both ways in terms of support. Where a woman is not able or willing to give that support and is too quick to criticize then she may lose her man.

• Men don't like angry women who shout. They want a woman who can debate and converse and is able to discuss. Communication is king. A fiery passionate temperament may have made you interesting and challenging on day one. But by day 500 it holds no glory whatsoever.

• Men love a challenging woman, someone who keeps them on their toes. Men are generally lazy in relationships once they feel they're in secure territory. When a man is challenged so he does something about it. If you want to keep your man interested, keep him challenged.

• Men are generally more reserved about sex than women. This is my experience is a fact. Men know what they like in bed and tend to stick to it. The adventurous sexual appetite in most men isn't there even if they are convinced it is. Men in reality are quite conservative. Sexually adventurous has nothing to do with having lots of partners and more to do with the things they will try with the same partner. In most test cases I have conducted, it is the man who looks for a quiet time in the bedroom and the woman who ultimately becomes bored.

• Men want a woman who will commit to them. Though increasingly this is hard to find, it doesn't take away the wish. Men want a girlfriend who they can share with and trust and be open with. Commitment is not a one way street and therefore men are struggling to find the levels of commitment they found previously. But the need is still there.

• Men don't want to be alone.

This column can easily fire a great debate. The fact is, a modern man is seeking a reliable, sexy, single girl with whom he can have a long term relationship with. He wants to have fun, share his life and ultimately settle down. There are a few long term bachelors but not that many. The problem guys have is that the world has changed. They don't necessarily want to have children and settle down straight away, but it will come. They do seek self-respect even if they are not the primary breadwinner and they seek respect from their partner.

While women become increasingly strong in their new roles in society, it is worth remembering that it takes, and always will take, two to tango.

The Search for Mr. Right

Actively seek out your soulmate and you'll find him

Does Mr. Right exist? Is he out there somewhere? Will I find him?

Mr. Right is a key subject for many women and an inspiration of hope on a daily basis. Yes, probably exists Yes, he is probably your match. Yes, you WILL find him! Of course in all our lives we have goals, aims, ambitions and desires small and large. It is these landmarks and goalposts that keep us positive and busy. It is what makes us human. In recent years the terms Mr. Right and Miss Right have become over used and clichéd. It is almost as if we have a chart on our wall, an extensive check list or a resume of specifics that the person in question must submit to get his foot through the door of the "potentials" interview.

Most of us would deny we are pushing away Mr. Right as we hope that chance will take a hand in bringing Mr. Right to us. Many of us accept that we have a small but insignificant "list" and yes, we accept that there are some requirements on it which are nonnegotiable, but they are fairly minor. Or are they? The fact of the matter is that as the decades have passed by, we have become far more sophisticated, as humans, as individuals, as lovers and mates. We are adults, we have a good salary and a nice home and are well educated in the ways of the world. Therefore it is only fair that we seek someone to match, to fit in, to adapt, to accompany, to facilitate, right? Therein lays the issue.

The fact is that Mr. Right also has a check list, of his wishes and needs, only a small one of course, but a list all the same, and he is ticking off your assets as we speak. He wants someone young, someone well educated, someone good looking and in shape. We are indignant, how shallow we cry. Typical man we sigh. Yet are we any better? Look at your list and look very carefully at what or who constitutes your Mr. Right. And then look again. Are you sure first of all that your tick list is achievable? Yes, or are you willing to negotiate? Okay so you are happy with your list. Then what?

Are you willing to go out and get your Mr. Right or are you waiting for him to come to you? Many women tell me they are waiting for Mr. Right. The word "waiting" concerns me. By waiting it means men come to you by chance, perhaps by design and you tick off their assets, your check them out and then cast off anyone who doesn't match your list. Maybe you do, but remember this my friends, Mr. Right is looking for his Miss Right? How much work have you put into being Miss Right or should he accept you as you are and fit in around you? If he did slot in to your life would he really be Mr. Right or an accouterment, an asset, a trinket that you would get bored of?

The thing I am asked by eligible men more than anything these days is, "where have all the nice girls gone". Think about those words carefully. These men are not asking where the doormats went, the meek mice, the housewife slaves. Not at all. No what they are asking is where all the women went who don't have a huge checklist as long as their arms. Most men simply want someone to love, someone who they can dote on in their own ways and who they can feel special and share with. The problem for them is that they are not finding it because they are constantly under the pressure of women’s check lists. They are told they must adapt and fit in, they are trying to fulfill their part of the list bargain and then they are faced with the Miss Rights out there.

As a potential Miss Right you owe it to yourself to complete a few tasks. Take a long, hard look at your list and ask yourself exactly how flexible you are being. Secondly look at who your Mr. Right is and how truthfully obtainable they are. Thirdly, don't kid yourself about your own potentials but don't compromise on ideals either. Fourthly, bring yourself out into the open and go after your Mr. Right.

Don't play the waiting game because you do not want to spend the rest of your life knowing your Mr. Perfect is married to someone else when he could have been yours. And finally, compromise is the key in reality, for all the things Mr. Right must be, try and balance that with attempting to be something your Mr. Right doesn't want to miss.

Lazy Men: Remove Their Comfort Zone

How to turn your bum into a gentleman

One of the biggest criticisms of men is that they are lazy, they get too complacent, far too comfortable, especially in relationships. They think they have got you and think they can keep you with the minimal amount of effort. And to be honest, they often manage it. Why? Because you let them. By the time you have woken up to the fact that your new man is not trying, its often too late to change things, or him. You can of course leave him and often you do, but only after your man has wasted months of your relationships time.

So why does it happen in the first place? Well men are designed like hunters. They like hunting, generally in packs and sometimes alone. Either way, they are doing the chasing for women like you. The problem arrives like a bolt of lightening when they wake up one day with you beside them and realize that they have got you and you appear content. Appear being the operative word. They are in a relationship with you and the chasing has stopped (or so they think). Take away a man's raison d'être and what have you got, a lazy man.

Remember that I blamed you. Well of course that's only partially true. But the fact is, if you don't keep your man standing on quicksand, he will lay down and go to sleep. As a man likes to chase, he likes to feel he has achieved greatness by achieving you as his girlfriend. Once he has done that he will proudly display his trophy and be content. He will set about creating his idea of perfect domestic bliss and being loved-up you will go along with it. What you may not realize is that you are putting up with a lot of crap along the way in the early stages. You may well know it , but unless you have kept him in check some ground rules may have been set. To become his mother is not the path to relationship heaven.

The question is, can you keep him on his toes. Can you keep him wanting you as if he was fighting for his life? Of course you can, you just need to do it that's all. He is going to call you at work and ask what time you are home. He is going to make assumptions that you are doing some things he likes this weekend. He will assume you love spending your weekend with his nieces and nephews. You are going to let him do that? Of course not. You are going to make him worry. Unnecessarily of course because you love him. But this is for his and your own good before it is too late.

The path to relationship heaven with a man is to make him work for you, to date you, to want you, as if you were the only woman to walk the earth. You do that by changing his expectations and goalposts continually after you have become a couple. To settle in to domestic routine is to allow him to move into a comfort zone you will later regret. At first you may feel you want that too. You both want to be domesticated and fall into a routine. But then you will panic.

Who does the washing, cleaning and ironing ? Was it decided that you were the best at it? When you first met him, his shirts were perfectly laundered and you didn't do them then. Who said you could cook better than him? Remember that perfect meal he made you on your third date? Where did those culinary skills go? Remember getting up at 6am to make you a surprise breakfast in bed, who said that had to stop? Little by little, you begin collecting his socks from the floor by the bed, you turn the TV off after he has fallen asleep on the sofa at 11pm. You pick him up from the bar after his regular night out with his buddies. And you blame him for getting comfortable? Okay , so it is time to do something about it.

You don't need to change your man if you start early enough, because he is there for the molding. Men are starting to be aware that women implant ideas in their heads and let the guy take the credit but they are not yet generally advanced enough to make an issue of this. So plant away all you like. He will accept. The fact is, you need to ensure your man is never ever allowed to lay down flat in the comfort zone. Every now and again you have to stir things up and be as equal in ground rules from the very start, as he. Ignore this at your peril.

How many times have you heard men say, I only realized how much I love you after I lost you? That is because their comfort zone was rudely removed and they woke up. So your task is to not allow them to go to sleep in the first place. We all want a quiet life with no head games. We don't need to play carefully constructed games as we get older? Ehm, I think you will find that you do. Nice games, but games that allow you to mature together before your relationship falls apart. You can be comfortable after 40 years of marriage in your dotage like your parents but to reach that point you better make sure that your man never takes you for granted. Not unless you want a life of unfulfillment.

Men will and do take their girls for granted because they are allowed to get away with it. By the same token, men love to chase their girls and feel huge pride in loving a real catch. To be the real catch you have to keep him fishing. And from time to time you need to get him to change the bait on his hook. Why would he look elsewhere at another women if he is constantly wanting and needing you? Let him take you for granted and watch what happens! So it is down to you to make that happen, to keep him chasing you. You could argue that you want a lazy life too and don't want to get the man you love to stand on quicksand. Fair enough, the problem is you will realize all too late that you are not happy with your later situation and by then, maybe it's too late.

To keep your man interested and chasing you may want to follow some of the tips here:

* Keep him out of his comfort zone by making rules early on, even if he doesn't like them
* Make sure he realizes just how desirable you are to others
* Never become lazy yourself
* Don't be at his beck and call
* Ensure you retain your friends, interests, vacations and activities to a degree
* Never allow him to think you are reliant on him
* Keep some of your finances separate
* Don't always return his phone calls
* Don't allow him to know what you are thinking all the time
* Socialize without him occasionally
* All domestic duties are shared, no excuses
* Threaten to dump him occasionally
* Use all your womanly powers that you employ so well in the early stages of dating
* Change your mind about things occasionally and keep him guessing
* Ensure you retain male friends you had before
* Find his weak spots and use them when need be
* Do not run around after him
* Get him to do the laundry
* Go on vacation with your friends

A relationship is equal through and through. Let him get the upper hand and allow him to become too comfortable and he will abuse the situation. Just make sure you don't allow it to happen in the first place.