#12: Working Hard
A common but utterly incorrect idea is that love and relationships and marriages and family connections should be easy. “If me and my significant other are meant to be together,” we tell ourselves, “then being together should be easy. And if it’s not, that’s a sign that we shouldn’t be together.”
But as we mature and learn more about the world, we come to realize that every meaningful relationship requires some work. You have to make an effort to spend time with that person and work on the relationship; you have to be willing to give, not just take.