"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread."
~ Mother Teresa

As a relationship coach, I would like to invite you to take a few moments to think deeply about your partner. Think about all that you appreciate and about what has drawn you to share your life with this person. Now, with an open heart, let's explore some ways you can love your partner more deeply and show your love and appreciation every day.

We spend hours each day working and trying to be the best we can be in our careers. But how much time do we spend thinking about our primary relationship and how we can love and nurture the person who means the most to us? Probably, not enough.

My husband, who also works with couples, says that relationships are like bank accounts. I love this analogy, because it is absolutely true: You have to put something into them to be able to get anything out. And in fact, you get out what you are willing to put in. We could also say that if you make lots of special daily deposits, those are like very wise investments that will pay dividends later.

I often hear couples who are on the brink of divorce say, "I have no idea how things got so bad." But when I ask them what they have done to nurture their relationship on a daily basis, they are often speechless. They realize then that they have put no energy into their relationship--they have made no deposits. In fact, they have usually done many things detrimental to the relationship, so now, their relationship account is not just on zero, it is seriously overdrawn. It's very difficult to get things back on track when there have been a lot of hurtful actions and words. Undoing the damage is not easy. It's so much easier to nurture the relationship and take care of it on a daily basis, addressing problems as they arise from a heart-centered place.

So for the next month, review your relationship account. Think about how much you've been investing. Do you make deposits everyday? Or do you neglect your relationship and think it will just always be there? We are all guilty of being distracted occasionally, but we must not let our distraction become a habit.

Here are some simple everyday ways that you can make deposits every day into your relationship account:

• Say "I love you" every morning when you wake up and every evening when you get in bed--and mean it.
• Snuggle with your partner every morning when you wake up and every evening when you go to bed.
• Go to bed at the same time, if at all possible, so you can share this time.
• Every day, tell your partner at least one thing that you truly appreciate about them.
• Once a week, every week, spend time talking with your partner without any distractions. Discuss any problems that have not been resolved. Also talk about shared dreams for your future.
• Once every week or two make a date with your partner. If you have children, hire a sitter. You need to be in man/woman roles not mommy/daddy roles regularly to keep your polarity and maintain your attraction.
• Touch often.
• Kiss often. (Did you know that men who kiss their women goodbye in the mornings earn more money than men who don't!?) I bet that goes for us women kissing on our men, too!)
• Wear something sexy for your partner once a week.
• Keep a sense of play, sexiness and excitement for each other: Examples: Grab her butt while she's cooking dinner and say, "I am so hot for you." Grab his but while he's messing with the VCR and say, "Mmmm, I can't wait for later."
• Call your honey occasionally during the workday just to say, "I love you."
• Send your partner flowers once in a while.
• Tell your partner regularly how much you treasure them and their love.

Only a few of these actually require "doing" things together. For the most part, the list suggests "ways of being" with your partner. They are about being aware of how you can love your partner moment by moment, day by day, and month by month.

The fact is that we must put time and energy into our relationships in order to nurture them. The "We don't have time" excuse is just that--an excuse. People make time for what they value and see as a priority.

Take the next month to assess your relationship account and see if you need to get in the habit of making more frequent deposits so that you will have a big, fat, healthy relationship balance that nurtures you as the years go by.

About the Author : Pamela Ramey-Tatum is a Relationship & Laws of Attraction Coach, Workshop Facilitator and Author. She works with people who desire to live more consciously, to live from their hearts and to become more fully who they are. She specializes in working with people who are ready have the relationship of their heart's desire. To schedule a coaching session, visit www.empoweringlove.com