are you ready to say i love you

Are you ready to say I love you?

Dr. Drew's Lifechanger, "The Real Hitch" Paul Carrick Brunson, recently asked a woman who'd been married for nearly 40 years how she knew when she was "in love" with her husband; how she knew he was "the one."

She said, "You just know." "Know what?!" shout the single masses.

The same can be said for when to say "I love you." An answer like "when the time is right" rings hollow, because one person's "right time" is another person's "time for a restraining order." So when do you reveal to your romantic partner that you've moved from like to love? 

Checklist: Are You Ready to Say 'I Love You'?

What Are Your Motives?

Why are you ready to say "I love you"? Don't say it unless you mean it. Don't think "I love you" is something you can say when you're just deep "in like," thinking that your heart will eventually come around. A lot of people are "likeable." Love indicates a bond that goes beyond general pleasantries.
Is This Love or Lust?

It's easy to confuse the two. If you're really excited about passion and heat, and not much else, it's probably lust. When it comes to a serious relationship, in the long term, you're going to need more than heat.

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Are Your Motives Pure?

Before you blurt it out on a bed of roses, do a self check. If you know you have a history of always being the first to say I love you, put yourself on a timetable. No matter how strong it feels, dial it back a few notches and take a "wait and see" approach.If you're quick with the L word, give yourself 4-6 months before shouting it to the rafters.

How Does Your Significant Other Feel?

The ultimate deal breaker. Are you on the same page emotionally and moving in a similar direction? You want to make sure that who you're dating is open to the idea of being in love and in a long-term relationship.

Find out the status of of your relationship… before you start carving your names in old oak trees.

Keep your sex life juicy with these 18 Foods to Put You in the Mood for Love!

For Slow Movers

If you're a chronic love "denier" who sometimes takes six months to a year (or longer) to reveal your true feelings, you may need to do a different kind of assessment. If all you can give is time, but not commitment or your heart, you should say so. The goal is to be fair -- not just to yourself, but to others.

Even with all this as a guide, there is no exact timetable for an "I love you" reveal. It is, at its core, about assessing where you are and where you think your partner is, then evaluating the risk of saying it.

When do you think is the right time to say these three little words?

For more life-changing information, watch Dr. Drew's Lifechangers every day at 3 and 3:30 PM on the CW. Find out what channel it's on in your area.

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