Are you constantly devoting all of your time to someone?

Do you receive the same amount of attention from others as you give them?

Do you stop what you are doing to focus on your partner yet they are not available when you need them?

Take a few minutes to examine your current friendships and relationships. Determine if your commitment to them far exceeds the effort, or lack of, given back to you by them.

This quote by Maya Angelou can be a bit hard to swallow if you are someone who has caught himself or herself in a relationship where you gave everything you had to a certain individual yet their reciprocation fell well short of your expectations. In honest terms, you were not as much of a priority to them as they were to you.

I have experienced a number of relationships where this held true. I committed 100% of myself but, unfortunately, I did not receive 100% commitment in return. Now, it is important to point out that it is not about keeping score. It is about recognizing and honoring your worth and value as being equal to anyone else.

If you are under-appreciated for all you are and all you give well then maybe it is time to re-evaluate the relationship.

I think there are far too many people, including myself, who have under-estimated their value in one or more instances in their life which caused them to constantly give their time, attention, love, and devotion to people that clearly didn’t appreciate it or deserve it.

If you have read my story, you know I spent over ten years in a relationship and about two years in another. In both cases, I made each relationship at the time a priority yet it was not a priority to my partner. Now clearly, I did not evaluate my situation early on and allowed myself to endure an extended period of unhappiness. However, I have learned from those experiences and I am so much stronger for it.

I do not want give the impression that you should never commit fully to someone. That is not the message at all. Just keep in mind that you are equally important and deserve just as much as you are willing to give.

Remember, relationships are not a 50/50 split. They are 100/100 equal.

If you are willing to give 100% and your partner is not, then honor your value and move on.

Now it’s your turn.

How does this quote inspire you?

Tell me about an experience where you made someone a priority and you were merely an option to in his or her eyes. How long did it take you to realize that? Are you still in a situation like this now? If so, how can you begin to shift that?

Contact me or share your thoughts below in the Comments section.

Let’s get the discussion going.

Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Together we can become stronger individuals.

Educate. Engage. Evolve.