In today's day and age, it is very common for single people to linger too long in the wrong relationship. Of course, this is understandable, as often times, the unknown seems very scary and a current relationship is usually quite comfortable. However, if you really want to get married, you need to know when it's time to say "enough is enough" and move on, no matter how difficult that might feel to you.
Take a look at this list. If you are experiencing one or many of these scenarios, you need to take a deep breath and move on because the time has really come for you to find another relationship.
1. You have given the ultimatum many times and nothing has changed. If it feels like the same old thing all the time -- you yell, you cry, you threaten that you are going to leave and yet you still standing there, in a state of limbo and not getting what you want, then you know the answer. It's time to move on for real, this time.
2. You created and extended your mental deadline on the relationship too many times to count. We all do it, we make a mental deadline and say that if something hasn't happened by a certain day, that's it. But how many of those deadlines have passed or have you extended and meanwhile, time is marching on?
3. Your fights always end up the same way. Do you feel like you are taking two steps forward, just to take two steps back? Fights are meaningless, if they don't accomplish anything. Are you getting anywhere in yours?
4. Your requests for couples therapy have been ignored. How many times have you requested that he or she go with you to couples therapy to work through your issues and see if you can get to the next level? How many times has your partner said yes, but then never gone with you? How can you solve the issues and work through them if your person won't take the time to go discuss them?
5. Your friends around you have had their relationships progress while yours has stayed the same. How many times have you felt that burning envy in the pit of your stomach when someone you know has gotten into a relationship, gotten engaged and married in short order while your relationships lingers on, the same as it always has been, stagnant and not progressing? You know the answer; too many times to count. Don't you actually want your friends's situation to be you?
6. You have started to panic on a daily basis that things are never going to change. Are you waking up at 4:00 a.m. in a panic that you are going to be single forever? Do you know deep down that the situation is never going to change? Listen to heart and your mind; you know the truth.
7. Your family and friends have done endless interventions to tell you to move on. How many times have your loved ones tried to get you to move on because they see the handwriting on the wall to which you refuse to pay attention? Have you stopped returning their calls because you know what they are going to say to you next?
8. Your partner's divorce is no closer to being final than it was the day the two of you started dating. Yes, divorces take a long time to complete. However, if your partner's divorce is just not moving any closer to a resolution, you need to ask if he or she really wants it to be resolved. And furthermore, how serious is he or she about taking that marriage step with you if he or she isn't pushing for the divorce?
9. You've started hating gifts because you know that is his/her way to try to appease you. You used to love little sweet nothings flowers and gifts, but now you hate them because they have become symbols of more excuses as to why you aren't getting what you really want -- an engagement ring or a marriage certificate. Gifts are wonderful when they come from the right person; go find that person and leave this one in the dust.
10. This same pattern has happened in other relationships, yet you don't know how to break it. Have you been in other relationships which go on and on forever and somehow they don't work out and you remain not married? This can't be a coincidence. You need to break this pattern now.
Are there any other signs that you believe indicate that it's time to move on from a relationship?
Samantha Daniels is a well-known professional matchmaker and relationship expert. She is the President of Samantha's Table Matchmaking, a bicoastal matchmaking service which caters exclusively to busy, successful professionals who have no trouble getting dates, but who have yet to find that one person with whom to spend the rest of their lives. She is also the author of "Matchbook: The Diary of a Modern Day Matchmaker" (Simon & Schuster). She is a frequently relied upon dating, relationship and romance expert, and is seen regularly on television, on the radio and in national newspapers and magazines. You can follow her on Twitter @Matchmakersd. You can also follow her on her Curator page on OpenSky, where you can get advice and picks for shopping from Celebrities. Her most recent project is The Dating Lounge, the invitation only dating community on Facebook where friends date each other's friends. For more information, go to www.SamanthaDaniels.info.