the Sound of Settling.

When it comes to doling out relationship advice, I'll be the first to stress how important it is never to settle, no matter what position you're in: Dumpee, dumper, boyfriend, girlfriend. The number one rule? If you believe that you could do better, you strive for it. On the other hand, trading in your happiness for a shot at elevating yourself, as opposed to settling, is not something you want to look into. A few couples I know offhand are stuck in this big-time relationship rut. One party is on a completely different track than the other. Example? She's a successful, up-and-coming woman in the world of business. She puts in her hours at work, stays later than planned to finish her tasks, attends business functions and gets paid nicely to do it. Her boyfriend? The economy's bad, and he was never a top student in school. He's "trying" to find jobs, but we all know he's just not trying hard enough, and he's okay with that for now. These two people love each other very much, but that's not to say that she isn't utterly frustrated with this situation. If anything, shouldn't he be the one treating her to dinner once in awhile? And on his dime?

This situation beckons the question: Am I settling? And furthermore, is it worth it?

Let me make myself clear, here. Under no circumstances am I advocating that you get rid of the guy { or girl } because they aren't monetarily pulling their weight. That would be called, err, gold-digging and that's not what it's about. It's a situation that only you can make the call on. Is your romance worth the wait for the kid to get his life on track? Will he ever give you what you need? Is he capable of doing it? And if not, are you willing to throw away your romantic happiness for a shot with someone for whom you don't have to settle?

{ finn and rachel; glee }

{ summer and tom; 500 days of summer }