
Want to spare yourself some heartache?
Not pick a lousy cheater again in your next relationship?
Here are signs to avoid:
- Avoid someone who tells too many white lies. White lies lead to grey lies. And then blacker and darker ones. It’s not easy to stop lying once you are used to it.
- Look at their friend group. If they are not reliable, it will be an indication of your partner’s personality. “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll show you who you are.” Or, you are the company you keep.
- Don’t be with a “flirter.” They need too much external validation and attention. You will never be enough for them. Find someone who is secure in who they are without looking outwards.
- The same goes for self-esteem. It’s a deep-rooted issue. You can’t “fix” them. They need to fix themselves. No more ego kibbles — a constant feed of accolades and appreciation. Nothing you do or say will be enough.
- Don’t be with someone who forces themselves to follow basic “rules” of behavior. This isn’t a Mad Max movie. Everyone needs boundaries.
- Avoid someone who always has to “one-up” someone else to feel better about themselves. A sign of deep insecurities. Again, not easily fixable. Let them find another test subject.
- Poor impulse control leads to poor capacity for delayed gratification. This spells doom for the long-run longevity of your partnership. You both need to have long-term goals to work towards.
- Avoid “easy to anger” types. They lash out when they feel attacked and don’t take responsibility for their actions. They project their anger back onto you.
- They have too many expectations of you and the “relationship.” They aren’t interested in working on themselves, though.
- Avoid those who have severe “fear of missing out” syndrome. They need to be “in the mix” and “out and about,” and likely will find opportunities to cheat at some point.
- Always looking for that next dopamine fix. Whether it’s alcohol, partying, drugs, purchases, or whatever. They complain that normal life is “boring” without the thrills and escapes.
Those are some of the signs you should avoid in your next partner. But avoiding a cheater isn’t so easy. It’s insidious. People will lie. And liars aren’t so simple to spot.
So, protect your heart. Listen to your gut.
Don’t let more pain into your life.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Davide Valerio on Unsplash