Signs You're Ready for a Serious Relationship

Love is simple. Relationships are anything but.

While many romanticize waltzing into one with caution thrown to the wind, doing so will only increase the odds of your relationship crashing and burning. If you don't want to end up hurt—or hurting someone else—you need to determine if a serious relationship is something you're ready for.

Although there are many considerations to watch out for, here are some of the most crucial ones:

Sign 1: You Have the Maturity to Know What You Want

One of the most important considerations to take is your motivations for entering into any kind of relationship.

Are you interested because you genuinely like the other person or do you just find them attractive and you want to give it a shot? Is a relationship something you're really looking for or are you just lonely?

Before making any kind of move, ask yourself any of these questions. It's the mature thing to do and it's incredibly helpful for navigating trickier waters later on.

Sign 2: You Have the Necessary Patience and Tolerance

Difficulties are absolutely assured in relationships. No matter how alike two individuals are, there are bound to be differences between them.

If you're sure that you can be patient and tolerant with your potential partner's flaws and mistakes, then your blossoming romance has a chance at working out. The same goes if your potential partner is the same way.

Otherwise, your relationship may end up filled with bickering and fighting, which do not make for a fun time for anyone.

Sign 3: You Have the Conscientiousness to Make it Work

Anything serious demands certain qualities in a person. These include being reliable, organized, and practical.

Lumped together, having these makes a person conscientious. The greater conscientiousness a person has, the more trustworthy he or she is within the confines of a relationship, which is great for everyone involved.

With enough conscientiousness, there is also enough stability in the relationship, which boosts overall happiness and satisfaction.

Sign 4: You Have the Capacity to Put in Effort for the Long Haul

Conceptually, being able to work hard on behalf of the relationship is the simplest and most basic sign that anyone is ready for something serious.

This is not something people just do at the beginning, when everything is fresh and easy. The effort needed to make a relationship work is never-ending. As things progress, the degree of effort also changes.

Many people get complacent at some point, which dooms the relationship. So, if you're aware of how much work lies ahead, then you're good to go.

A serious relationship is not an easy thing to get into and maintain. While the ease and simplicity of love makes committing attractive at first, those who understand what's really waiting for them down the line know just how hefty the commitment can be. If any of the aforementioned signs apply to you, then great.

If not, then a relationship may not necessarily be what you need at the moment.