27 Green Flags In A Relationship That Show It Has Real Potential

We often hear about the red flags in dating.

But what about the signs that things are going well with the person you’re seeing?

Just like the red ones, you can see some green flags early on in a relationship. They’ll show you that the person you’re dating is a keeper and might even be your perfect match.

If there’s a good chance that your relationship will develop into a long and happy partnership, you will notice these things:

1. It’s easy to love them.

Intense relationships full of drama usually don’t work out the way you’d like them to, even if you love each other. They seem passionate, but it’s the kind of passion that breaks people up, not brings them closer together.

When it’s likely to work out with a person, things aren’t that thrilling. They’re actually peaceful, and you find it easy to love them and be with them. You feel calm knowing that you’re with them and being around them is relaxing.

You have security in your relationship and a sense of ease. Your partner treats you with respect and kindness. Ultimately, the relationship brings you happiness.

When things are like this, your relationship has a good chance of succeeding. While the intense relationships seem glamorous, they usually aren’t, and they rarely last for long.

The right person will be your safe harbor, not rock your boat.

2. They like you for who you are.

You probably aren’t with the right person if you feel like you have to pretend that you’re someone you’re not.

Your perfect match will make you feel free to be yourself around them instead. You won’t have to fear their judgment. They’ll always hear you out and try to understand where you’re coming from.

They would never mock you if you act like your true self and speak your mind. They simply like you for who you are, and you don’t have the pressure to impress them.

Pretending that you’re someone you’re not can’t lead to a healthy relationship. A person can’t like you for who you are when you’re acting in a different way than you normally would.

When you’re with the right person, you don’t feel the need to pretend. You want them to see and like the real you, and they do.

3. You can open up to them.

It can be tempting to stretch the truth and present yourself in the most positive light when you’re dating someone new. But one of the green flags is when you don’t need to do this.

You can open up to your partner and be honest with them. You don’t feel the need to hide things from them just because you fear that they might not like what they find out.

Being yourself around someone and speaking your mind also means being honest with them. When you can be honest with your partner and let your guard down, you’re on the right track.

They can be honest with you too, and they don’t hide their true self from you. You can talk about anything that’s on your mind, and you’re not just partners, you’re close friends.

This is a great way to start a love story that has a happy ending.

4. They make you laugh.

Relationships are supposed to be fun. You should have fun with your partner and spend a lot of time laughing when you are around them. If you do, this is a great sign that your relationship could have a beautiful future.

You and your partner aren’t afraid of acting silly and being playful. You can joke at each other’s expense without being offended. Most importantly, you laugh together and have fun.

They make you feel joyful and carefree. You’re simply happy to be with them, and there’s no unnecessary drama in your relationship. They turn into a stand-up comedian when you need cheering up and they always succeed in putting a smile on your face.

5. You smile a lot.

If you are happily in love, others will be able to see it on your face. You are smiling a lot more often than you did before you met your partner. The thought of them makes you smile, and you think about them often during the day. You can’t even think about their name without it making you grin, let alone say it with a serious voice.

While smiling is not necessary for your relationship to succeed, it’s a great sign that you’re happy with them. Naturally, being happy with them increases the odds of having a future with them.

6. They’re done with their past relationships.

Your relationship probably has great potential if your partner is truly over their past lovers. This doesn’t just mean that they’ve ended the relationships. It means that they no longer think about their exes and can talk about them without anger or bitterness. They’ve completely moved on, and they don’t blame their exes for what happened.

Baggage can doom a relationship. So, it’s a great sign if your partner has truly moved on after their past relationships. They talk about their exes respectfully because there’s no unfinished business left. They’ve learned from their past relationships and let go of them.

If this is so, your partner is ready to start a new, healthy relationship with you, without the background drama.

7. They make time for you.

Spending quality time with you is your partner’s number one priority. Even if they’re busy, they’ll find time to see you or at least contact you. This shows that they genuinely enjoy spending time with you, and that’s a big green flag.

You can rely on them, and they don’t keep you hanging or cancel at the last minute. It’s important for them to find the time to be with you, so they do. Your relationship is a priority for them, and that shows it has potential.

People can be busy, but when they can’t make time for you, it just means that you’re not a priority to them at the time. Naturally, you and your partner shouldn’t be constantly available to each other. But, there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to spend almost all of your free time together when you’re falling in love.

8. The conversation flows.

When you communicate, your partner clearly expresses their opinions, thoughts, and intentions. They also respect yours.

Time flies by when you talk, and the conversation flows naturally. They actively listen to you when you talk and ask you questions to understand you better. There aren’t many pauses, but when the silence happens, it’s not awkward. You feel comfortable talking to each other about anything. You also like sitting in silence close to each other without feeling the pressure to say something.

They remember little details that you mention, especially if they’re related to your interests. They might even use your interests to come up with dates related to them. When you talk, you don’t just make small talk. You have long meaningful conversations that make you feel like you’re spending quality time together.

9. You want the same things.

It’s a huge green flag if you want the same things in life and share the same values. Honesty, kindness, ambition, wealth, trust… whatever it is that’s important to you will be important to your perfect match.

You will share the same or similar vision of success in your long-term plans. Goals are about where you want to be later in life, while values are things that you’ll be doing on your way there. When these things align, it’s a big green flag.

Couples often break up because they want different things in life. While one wants a family other wants to achieve wealth. This is just one of the examples when goals and values don’t align.

Wanting the same things creates a good foundation for a healthy, long-lasting relationship. Keep in mind that your goals and values go beyond your interests. However, having the same interests is also a good way to bond and do things together.

10. They understand and respect your perspective.

Even if you are not that similar, your partner respects your views, opinions, and beliefs, and you respect theirs. While they might not always agree with you, they always try to understand and respect your point of view.

You can openly discuss any issues that might be bothering you because your partner will show empathy. Your fights will be more productive and calm if you can always look at things from your partner’s perspective. Simply trying to means that you’re putting effort into understanding where your partner’s coming from.

Your partner values your opinions and asks for your advice. They consult with you before making decisions. This is because they want to hear your perspective on things and include you in their life. It is a green flag that shows you’ll probably have a healthy relationship with long-term potential.

11. They don’t put pressure on intimacy.

If you’re not ready to be intimate with the person you’re dating, they certainly shouldn’t push you into it. They shouldn’t put pressure on physical intimacy, push your boundaries, or guilt you into being intimate with them.

It’s a green flag if your partner doesn’t force anything in your relationship, especially intimate behavior. They might communicate their needs, but they wouldn’t pressure you into doing anything that you’re not comfortable doing.

Some people will want to get intimate as soon as possible when you start dating them. Those that you could have a potential relationship with will be willing to wait and respect your boundaries. You should never feel like you have to be intimate with someone; it’s something you should only do when and if you want to.

12. They want to introduce you to their loved ones.

It is a giant green flag if your partner looks forward to introducing you to their family and friends. They’re eager to let you in on other people in their life that mean a lot to them. That shows that they have serious intention. It shows that you’re important to them and they want to make you a part of their life.

Your partner is probably not going to introduce you to their loved ones if they don’t intend to stay with you for long. They probably aren’t going to let you meet their parents so soon after you’ve started dating. However, they are likely to let you meet their friends. They might mention introducing you to their family even in the early stages of dating. If they’re eager to do it, it’s a very good sign!

13. They make an effort with your loved ones.

When your partner gets to meet your friends and family, they’ll make an effort to leave a good impression. Your partner knows that your loved ones are important to you, and they want to be important to you too. So, they’ll try to get the people in your life to like them.

They’ll try to get to know your loved ones better and show interest in their lives and hear stories about you. They’ll care about leaving a good impression because they care about you.

If they instead avoid meeting your family and friends or don’t even try to behave nicely around them, they might not be serious about you.

When your loved ones support your relationship with the person you’re dating, it’s more likely to have a future. Of course, you can have a healthy long-term relationship with someone your family and friends don’t approve of, but it’s less likely to happen.

14. They fight respectfully.

Like every couple, you fight sometimes, but you do so respectfully. You don’t yell at each other, roll your eyes, bring up past mistakes, use name-calling, or blame each other.

Even when you fight, you still keep in mind that you’re a team, and you should be working toward a solution, not making things worse than they have to be. You’re not fighting against your partner, you’re fighting for a future together that would make you both happy.

If you can resolve conflicts in a healthy and sustainable way, your relationship is likely to have that future. If your partner has good conflict resolution skills, your fights aren’t going to doom your relationship, they’ll make it better.

Too little conflict is not a sign of a healthy relationship. A sign of a healthy relationship are healthy fights that lead to progress.

15. They own up to their mistakes.

Both of you need to take responsibility for your role in the issue you’re facing. Your partner shouldn’t blame you for everything or get defensive. They should own up to their mistakes and not be afraid to apologize. Accountability is important for the relationship’s potential. It shows emotional maturity that could contribute to mutual trust.

Your partner shouldn’t be afraid of being vulnerable around you. Acknowledging when they’ve made a mistake and trying to make things better is a great green flag that you can notice early on in a relationship.

Your partner should also be able to forgive you when you’ve made a mistake and apologized instead of holding a grudge.

16. They respect your boundaries.

Boundaries are there to protect you, and your partner should respect them. They shouldn’t guilt you or pressure you into doing anything that you’re not comfortable with. You have emotional and physical boundaries, and they should be equally respected.

If your partner instead pushes your boundaries and tests your limits, your relationship isn’t likely to succeed. After all, you wouldn’t want to be with someone who disrespects your limits and pushes you into doing things you’re not comfortable with.

17. They challenge and inspire you.

Your partner challenges you in a good way by inspiring you to be the best version of yourself. They bring out the best in you and make you want to strive to be even better. They have big dreams just like you do, and you push each other to chase after them.

They’re there to tell you that you can dream big and be better and you want to because of them. They are your biggest fan, and they believe in you. They want you to be the person that you want to be and you feel motivated to try to become that person.

18. They’re equally invested.

You are both investing your time and energy into the relationship, and you should invest an approximately equal amount. Meaning, the relationship should be important to both of you, and you should both be equally invested.

When this isn’t the case, the relationship becomes one-sided. No one can be happy in a relationship where they’re giving more than they’re getting in return

It’s never a wise idea to literally keep track of who has done how much. However, it should be clear that you’re in this together and care just the same. A successful relationship requires teamwork and reciprocated emotions. When only one person puts effort into holding the relationship together, it’s likely to fall apart.

19. They want to learn more about you.

When your partner shows interest in finding out more about you, it’s definitely a green flag. They won’t spend most of your time together just talking about themselves. Instead, they’ll ask you questions and show interest in learning more about your likes and dislikes and anything else that makes you you.

A person who doesn’t want to have a future with you probably won’t bother with figuring out who you really are.

On the other hand, someone who’s looking for a meaningful long-term relationship with you will want to learn all that there is to learn about you. They’ll put time and effort into figuring out how your mind works and what kind of future you’ve planned for yourself.

20. You grow as a couple and as individuals.

While this might not be obvious early on in a relationship, it’s still a great sign that it has a future. Your partner should support your personal growth. You should both grow, as a couple and as individuals. There’s always room for self-improvement, and happy couples inspire each other to grow and improve.

If your partner instead stands in the way of you becoming a better version of yourself, you are likely to resent them for it later on in the relationship.

People change in a relationship, and you should change for the better. You should feel like the relationship is nourishing you and helping you achieve your dreams. It shouldn’t feel like it’s holding you back and standing in the way of your progress.

21. They give you enough alone time and respect your privacy.

Your partner wants to spend a lot of quality time with you, but they also respect your need for alone time. They let you feel free in the relationship by giving you guilt-free alone time and respecting your privacy.

They don’t check up on you to see what you are doing when they know that you need peace. They don’t act jealous or possessive. Instead, they let you focus on yourself when you’re away from them and give you as much time and space as you need.

This is a great green flag. It means you’ll have enough freedom in your relationship to focus on yourself and other aspects of your life.

22. They’re there for you when you need them.

Obviously, it’s important to know that you can rely on the person you’re dating. They’re there for you when you need them, and they know how to take care of you. They can give you a shoulder to cry on, offer advice, cheer you up or nurture you when you’re sick. The important thing is that they show up for you, and you know that you can count on them no matter what.

This can be noticed early on in the relationship, and it’s a good sign. You don’t want to spend a lot of your time on someone who will bail on you when things get tough. What you want is a partner who’ll do anything to make you feel better when you’re feeling bad. If it means bringing you a hot chicken soup when you have the flu, they’ll be there with soup.

23. You can trust them.

Trust is crucial in a relationship, and you need to be able to trust your partner for your relationship to succeed. You don’t have to worry about who they’re with when they’re not with you. They don’t disappear on you or make you guess where they are and what they’re doing. Instead, you feel comfortable being away from each other because you know you can trust them, and they can trust you.

This is a great foundation for a healthy relationship. You don’t keep secrets from each other or try to hide anything. Your relationship is based on trust, honesty, and mutual respect. You know that they wouldn’t ever keep a secret from you. You also know that they wouldn’t reveal your secrets to anyone.

24. They talk about your future together.

A clear sign that someone wants a future with you is when they talk about it. Even if you’ve only recently started dating, they may want to see whether your plans for the future match. So, they’ll mention their plans, ask about yours, and see how they align.

Later on, they might make plans for the future together. This doesn’t have to be anything huge. Maybe they’ll invite you to their cousin’s wedding that will take place six months from now. Perhaps they’ll ask you about your plans for the summer vacation because they’d like to travel with you this or the next summer.

When they mention any future plans with you, it’s a green flag that indicates that they want to have a future with you.

25. They make compromises.

When a relationship means a lot to you, you are willing to make sacrifices and compromises. If your partner wants to make things work with you, they’ll be willing to meet you halfway. They’ll always try to see if they could accommodate you and meet in between.

This could mean literally meeting each other halfway or doing anything else that requires you to make compromises. They’ll be willing to give up certain things for the sake of your happiness. And, they’ll expect you to do the same for them too.

Making compromises is necessary to make a relationship work. You can see whether your partner is good at this very early on in a relationship.

26. They support you.

Your partner should be your number one fan, and it’s a big green flag if they are. They are there to support you when you’re trying to accomplish something or when you just need someone to hear you out and share the burden.

When your partner is your biggest support, it’s not just your relationship that’s likely to succeed. You are more likely to succeed at anything you put your mind to.

Relationships that nurture growth turn out to be long-lasting, healthy, and happy. So, if your partner cheers you on and motivates you to chase after your dreams, your dreams might even become your reality.

27. You feel valued and appreciated.

All in all, your partner makes you feel valued and appreciated. They make you feel special and you know that you mean a lot to them. They notice everything that you do for them and show appreciation for it. They also notice desirable qualities in you that others often overlook. They recognize your efforts whether you’re trying to improve the relationship or yourself.

Most importantly, they make you feel good about yourself. A lot of times, you can learn a lot about your relationship simply by considering how your partner makes you feel about yourself. Someone who makes you feel bad about yourself is not a good partner for you. Your partner is supposed to make you feel cared for and happy, and that’s the biggest green flag that there is.

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