It’s not trust. Though that’s important.
It’s not loyalty. That’s equally important.
It’s not unconditional love. Though that makes lives so much more beautiful.
It’s the freedom to be your true self no matter how pathetic that may seem to everyone else. I believe having a relationship is committing to an unsaid contract that allows you to be (and even find) your true self.
If that’s not happening, why even bother staying in a relationship? This, of course, doesn’t just apply to our personal relationships but also our business relationships.
It irritates me to the core when clients (professionals or firms) try to dictate terms and are just waiting for you to fowl up somewhere. So that they can enforce their contract (which is out there, in fine print) and penalise you. Necessary? Absolutely not! Could there be a better way? Yes, but that takes work. And it’s way easier for entities to say they care than actually show they do.
Likewise, when you feel penalised for a fowl up in personal relationships or just start feeling you can’t afford to be your “normal” self, I think you’ve got a problem.
And like all problems, this too can be resolved. Eventually choices and changes can be made to fix almost anything in life. We just need to be sure about what we want — to be ourselves or to just comply so others can be themselves.