Making a commitment involves dedicating yourself to something, like a person or a cause. Before you make a commitment, think carefully. A commitment obligates you to do something.
Commitment and lack of it continues to cause problems in relationships. Some women have had their hearts broken because the men they love and look forward to settling down with have commitment issues.
In a world full of infidelity and broken promises from people who claim to love their partners, it is not wrong to see many people despair over having lasting relationships.
There are many articles on how to keep someone committed to you for life but are they realistic? Is there such a thing as a magic formula to inspire someone’s commitment to you?
Effects asked men and women what commitment means to them and their answers vary and here is what they said:
Jessica: It means being dedicated to my relationship
A committed relationship is where a man and a woman are both 100 percent dedicated to making the relationship work. It means that you are putting energy into making it work, no matter what happens, and you are both motivated to stay together for the long haul.
At this point in the relationship, you both may have started noticing each other’s faults and weaknesses. It’s where couples start to realize that they disagree on some things. Commitment to me means being dedicated to my man and our relationship no matter what happens as long as we are in it together.
This is where some relationships break down and fall apart. This is where it starts to require some compromise. This is also where true commitment starts, because it means that you are both willing to work things out instead of just breaking up at the first sign of anything that doesn’t resemble the fairy tale.
Gabriel: It is how we talk about the future together
In my opinion, commitment means taking about our future together. I won’t talk about the future with a woman if I am not committed to her. There’s a difference between a fling and a relationship. When I feel comfortable to share my future plans with a woman I am dating, know that I am committed to her.
Esther: It means being willing to be a better partner
I am 32 years old. I have been in a few relationships and I have had to break up with two guys because they had commitment phobia. They just wanted us to eat, drink, have sex, go out and have fun. But that is not my idea of a relationship. I want a serious-minded guy who will plan his future with me.
Some of the guys I dated wanted me to continue putting up with their bad behaviour because according to them, that is what women do if they truly love a guy.
But to me, being in a committed relationship means being willing to change and be a better man for your woman, It shows you are true to her and willing to do whatever it takes to keep her by your side.
One difference between dating and commitment is how willing you and your partner are to be your best selves for one another. When you date, it’s short-lived, and there’s little reason to change or work on yourself. But when you are in a committed relationship, you should want to work on those things that may hold you back from being the best partner possible.
Anne: Commitment means being devoted to each other
In my opinion, couples who are committed to each other are devoted to each other. They spend a lot of time together not because they force themselves to but because they want to. They can’t get enough of one another and they fully support one another’s endeavors.
If I am committed to a guy, I devote my time, emotions, and finances to him. He will not be uncertain about my love, feelings, fidelity and honesty regarding him and I expect the same thing from him.
Emmanuel: Being okay with some compromise makes a committed relationship
No one said that commitment meant getting your own way all of the time. In fact, it means letting go of your ego and letting your partner have her way too. There’s always a balance between your wants/needs and those of your partner and you will be okay with that if you love her.
It’s important to talk to your partner about what commitment means to her and to you and how important it is. This relationship talk should come when you feel like things have shifted away from just casually dating to a serious relationship. You may feel more emotionally invested in this babe and want to know if you are both on the same page.
Dupe: I can completely be authentic with him
As a woman, I have struggled to be authentic with men I have dated in the past. At a point, I was afraid I would come off too quirky or assertive and worried that they would run at the first whiff of my true self.
But over time, I have learnt that dating on your own terms is one of the best things a woman can do for herself. I started dating a guy last year and I have slowly let him see more and more of whom I really am and he’s not running. I have gotten to the point where I am so relaxed around him that I don’t feel that shield you used to put up. And that feels amazing. This is what commitment means to me. It means being free to be myself around the man I am dating without feeling pressured to pretend to be who I am not just to keep by my side.
My boyfriend is okay with who I am. He supports me. He cherishes me. He cares for me. He doesn’t see my ambition as a threat to his masculinity. He is proud to show me off whenever he is with his friends.
John: When you are committed to someone, you talk about everything
I can’t date a woman who hides things from me. If I sense that the woman I am dating is not being honest and truthful with me, I will call off the relationship. I hate lies and deceit. I am a straightforward guy and I love women who can talk to me about anything without holding back important information.
When you are committed to someone, you talk about everything. You don’t hide things from them. You don’t pretend to like something about them that you cannot stand. That’s deceit. If you can’t talk to me about everything, why are we in a committed relationship?
When you are in a committed relationship, you open up in every way possible. You can confide in your partner and they can also do the same without feeling compelled to do so because you can completely trust him or her.
Chinenye: It means you only have eyes for each other
It’s like you are in your own romantic comedy movie. Before you started dating your partner, you may have been a flirt. You didn’t miss a single good-looking guy who walked down the street. But now, you only have eyes for him. And you know he feels the same. It’s like you are in this bubble with just the two of you and the rest of the world is just background noise.
This is what commitment means to me. It means having eyes only for your partner and being exclusive with each other. If you still feel like you are open to options while still in a relationship, then you are not in a committed relationship.