Everyone wants an ideal partner, but the question really is what an ideal partner is? How do you measure such a partner and who decides if the partner is ideal.

These days there seem to be a step by step guideline for everything, the other day; I came across a guide on how to make your marriage last forever- I believe no one should want to live life based on a manual written by someone from somewhere.

So, who is the ideal partner? The word IDEAL is very broad, the question now is ideal for whom? You? Society? Friends and family? Sometimes we completely forget about the main reason for choosing a partner and we end up making a choice based on all the irrelevant motives. We want someone who we can be together forever and share our lives, our space with. So, does this person have to fulfil some certain criteria set by the society, or even by our best friend? We end up judging a person based on lots of expectations, expectations set by everyone and everything else apart from what we really want. I believe this is one of the decisions where an individual is allowed to be selfish. Choosing your life partner should only depend on your “terms and condition”, considering those T&Cs are as realistic as possible. This is one of the most significant stages in a relationship.

Finding an ideal partner doesn’t necessarily mean finding someone who is just like you- opposite attracts but bear in mind not all opposites, some opposites are just too far off- in most cases, you know yourself more than anyone else and should be able to tell as soon as you spend a period of time with someone if they float your boat. Character difference is very important in choosing the right partner. In my experience, a character which seems awesome to someone can be downright weird to another. Now tell me- is it worth spending the rest of your life with someone who thinks everything you do is strange, when there is someone else out there who would adore the same character? There is nothing like a 100% compatibility, that is just a fantasy, but a realistic 40-50% character compatibility seems like a good start.

I will not ignore the fact that the society, different cultural and religious beliefs play a big role in what we do, but it is also important to find a balance between such beliefs and one’s happiness. Some people can still be happy by completely going against these beliefs while there are some others who just won’t be at peace unless they fulfil all that is required. At the end of the day, like I said earlier, you know yourself better and can decide what to do if you ever find yourself in a situation where a decision had to be made.

My point is, there is no definition for an ideal partner, there has being guidelines or requirements set by other individuals in their own opinion, the key is to ensure you understand exactly what you want in a partner and go for it. An ideal partner for you might not be so ideal for me; it’s just the way life works.

I hope we all find our ideal partner and if we already have them, let’s look after them! They are truly a rare gem

Now, let’s hear from you, what makes your partner ideal? How did you know he/she is or was the one? Or what would you be looking for in an ideal partner?