When you’re in love you’re happy. Those were the words sung by Wendy Rene in the popular 70’s song, ‘After Laughter (comes tears).’

There is no quantifiable way to measure love and compatibility, but happiness comes close.

The truth is love is a multi-dimensional puzzle that can make sense from one angle, yet look completely contradictory from another.

What signs should you look for?

Finding the perfect girl is impossible. Finding one that you’re simply compatible with is no easy feat either. How you feel around your lady friend is the initial indicator that a future together may exist. Liking the same songs, supporting the same sports team, and sharing a love of horror films should make for an enjoyable partnership, but won’t, not if passion and excitement don’t create that spark.

Because you’re here, reading this, I’m assuming you feel enough passion for your girlfriend that you want to know if you have the potential to go the distance. You want to know if she’s the one. Right?

Well, let’s look at your relationship logically.

Stepping away from the intense emotional feelings and looking at a relationship from an analytical viewpoint is a beneficial activity. While it will never be encouraged in any kind of Hollywood romance movie, it does allow you the chance to see what lies in wait when the emotional tornado begins to calm.

How can you tell if she’s the one?

Well, part of the answer lies within the sentence above. Very little should change when the butterflies begin to settle. A great partnership often runs smoothly from beginning until end. Compatibility means friction should be at a minimum (most of the time).

This includes compatibility with your whole life rather than just with you. Does your partner get along with your parents? Do your friends like her?

Seeking feedback from others is wise. While you don’t need to take what people say as gospel, you chose your friends, and your family raised you. You should value their opinion.

Ultimately, the final one should be yours though. Your partner, if she’s the right one for you, should also be one of your best friends too. Her opinion must matter too, and if she believes in the same things, that counts for a lot. If you have a deep seated respect and admiration for your girlfriend, removed of any physical attraction, that’s an extremely good sign.

Don’t change a good thing

There shouldn’t be anything too major you’d like to change about your lady. As time passes, smaller details become larger. While many things will just become an occasional annoyance, larger issues can eventually cause a void. This includes physical attributes as well as characteristics. If there are parts of her you find unattractive, be prepared for them to magnify.

If she is compatible with your life, and she is your best friend, and there’s very little you’d like to change her; you’ve probably thought of marriage. Even if you’re not the marriage kind of guy, I’m sure it’s crossed your mind at least once. When everything feels right, the idea of spending the rest of your lives together just feels less scary. It feels like a natural thing to do.

In the end, let good sense prevails. You have powerful senses, and deep down you know what works for you and what doesn’t. It’s hard to miss the fact that somebody is great for you. Even if you have doubts right now, if your relationship is perfect, that should become clear soon enough.

Readers Bureau, Contributor