When someone asks you what kind of person you want to date, what comes to mind? You might say you want to date someone kind, caring, and passionate. Someone who is funny and makes you laugh. Someone who will love you forever.

All of those are amazing qualities—qualities that you look in someone you want to share your life with. You know the beginning of most relationships is beautiful. You get those butterflies every time you think of them. Your hearts skip a beat when you get a text. Your eyes smile when you see them. It is as real as magic can ever get in life.

Only a handful of those love stories end up lasting in the long run because of many reasons. Some are not ready for serious relationships, some are not honest about what they want, and some feelings just fade over time.

The truth is that the most important quality to make a relationship last is the effort that you put in. It is better than magic because it is up to you.

You can say the most beautiful words and buy the most expensive gifts. You can pretend and lie, but you can never fake effort. If you want to make something work, you put the work in.

Sadly, nowadays, many people are too lazy to put the effort in. You cannot expect a relationship to work in the long run if you do not try from the beginning.

That is why it is important to date someone who makes you want to try.

Once the honeymoon phase is over and reality creeps in—when the quirky habits that you used to find cute start to feel annoying and when the smile on your face sometimes gets replaced by a sigh—you have to realize that you need to try harder.

Once you realize that a relationship is going to take hard work, it becomes easier.

It is important to date someone who makes you want to try because they are trying too. If you want a happily ever after, you must know that sometimes you will want to give up, but you will know it is worth the fight.

In life, you will meet many people who will sweep you off your feet with their sweet words and grand gestures, but what matters the most is finding someone who works every day with you to make it last.

Date someone who makes you realize the value of a genuine partner. Date someone who will be there for you in the good times and the bad, because you will do the same.

Date someone who you know will never give up on you, because giving up is not even an option. Date someone with whom you will do whatever it takes to make it last, because sometimes it takes a lot of work.

Date someone who proves their love by actions and not just shows them with flowery words. Date someone who is reliable, someone you can count on your darkest days.

Date someone who loves and accepts you for exactly who you are, because you would do the same. Date someone who puts in work every day with you.

Date someone who makes you want to try, because without trying, you do not have anything at all, and it will make a world of difference in your life.

Date someone who makes you want to try, because they are trying every single day to make this work with you.