How Do You Know If You Love Someone

We've all felt those tell-tale signs of love (butterflies in the stomach, racing heart, getting tongue tied), but how do you know if you love someone for real? How do you tell it apart from a crush or infatuation? Saying "I love you" is serious business, so you better mean it when you let those words come out of your mouth. To figure out if you really love someone, you have to pay attention to how you react to her presence (and absence) and how you behave when your with her. Find out if you really love someone by asking yourself this series of questions:

1. How do I feel when I'm with her? When you're in love, you'll be happy to be with her. Good days are easy, anyone can get through a good day. The real test is when you have a bad day. When you get into a disagreement or have an argument, are you still happy to be in a relationship?  Do you still have the feeling inside telling you that you'd rather be with her than not be with her? If not, the love might not really be there.
2. How do I feel when she's gone? If you love a woman, you'll miss her when she isn't around. This isn't to say that you'll be devastated or depressed when you're not together - that's not healthy at all - but you'll know deep down that whatever you're doing would be more enjoyable if your love was with you.
3. is she your better half? Okay, this phrase ("my better half") is sort of cheesy. But it is still a useful phrase, and here's why. We all have bad habits, and when we're being honest with ourselves, we probably know what most of those bad habits are. When you love someone, you want to be the best you possible. You'll make an effort to change bad habits in order to impress her and to be the man she deserves.
4. What are you willing to give up to be with her? If you really love someone, there will be very few items that don't make it onto this list. Now, it's not healthy to be willing and ready to give up everything to be with your love (and realistically, it probably won't come to that - if she loves you back she won't expect you to give up everything to be with her). Nevertheless, you need to ask yourself, would you move to a new city or state to be with her? Would you change jobs to be with her? If you really love someone, you'll be willing, though not necessarily happy, to make sacrifices to be with her. If your not, it might not be true love.
5. Am I willing to work on our relationship? Love is work. It's tough work. Are you willing to be an active participant in your relationship? Are you willing to make compromises? Are you willing to adjust your behavior (within reason) in order to make your relationship better? When you're really in love, the answer to all of these questions will be an easy "yes."

Remember, this is a long term process. You have to be patient. You're not going to figure it out overnight, nor should you. True love will last through good times and bad times, and you should keep asking yourself these questions. You answer may change, for better or for worse, as time passes.