5 Signs You Might Be Too Selfish for Love

Are you ready for love? Do you have a solid foundation to date responsibly, court, and eventually enter into a lifelong covenant of marriage? Selfishness should put the brakes on any plans you have to start any of this.

Let’s be honest, we all have selfish tendencies… don’t we? We want what we want, when we want it. This is true in relationships as well. Regardless of how giving and understanding we are, a part of us wants people to agree with us, respect the things we enjoy, support our decisions, not argue if we change our mind, show up on time, give us our space, etc… These are natural selfish tendencies we have, because we are human… though we should continually seek to master them. However, we are not talking about tendencies here. We are talking about selfishness (repeat selfish behavior). This occurs when someone displays a pattern of behavior that shows disregard for others; actions that are not conducive to love.

Generally, when people start dating, once they get past the initial emotions, roses, and candlelight… you can begin to see the person for who they really are. This is why I advocate dating with intentions and getting to know one another as friends first. This way, you will not be overly distracted by things that cause you to fall into sinful situations. Relationships are hard work and love is even harder… requiring two people working together to walk together to learn to grow together as one. The world is full of distractions. We must focus.

If you are dating a selfish person or if you are selfish, you should consider putting the brakes on the relationship and getting the help you need. Understand selfishness will cause you to end up alone or destroy every relationship you enter into. So, it is better to do the right thing now.

Here are 5 signs to help you know if you are too selfish for love:

1. You are dishonest about your past – When we are dishonest, we take away other people’s choices. If we are dishonest about our past, because we are afraid someone will choose to leave us… we are only looking out for our best interest. Love is about doing whatever you can to make someone else’s life easier. So, until you are able to be honest about your past and allow them to choose you for who you are, you are not ready to love with a pure heart.

2. You give ultimatums – When we make people believe our commitment or loyalty is dependent on how well they meet our expectations, we do not love unconditionally (the only true way to love). Conditions are usually a response to fear…

Read more: Quentin McCall

 

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top