Article from Women Central.....How to make your love life better in the new year.

By MP Dunleavey for Lifetime


Making New Year's resolutions is irresistible. A fresh new year stretches before you like a white paper tablecloth set with a cup of bright crayons. How can you not want to make your mark?

But rather than just promise to take yoga twice a week, quit smoking and finally open that 401K, channel some of that impulse for self-improvement into your romantic life. Whether you're single, married or somewhere in between, 'tis the season to take stock of your relationship (or, if you're like me, the lack thereof) and vow to have a happier, healthier love life. (And you can set up that 401K, too.) May this sampler of romantic resolutions inspire you to make positive change. Repeat after me: I hereby resolve to:

1. Never go on another blind date
If you know someone who knows someone who they want you to meet, tell them to throw a brunch and invite El Mysterioso to meet you there. I'm sorry, but there is something wrong with a system where the person who sets you up doesn't even have to be in the same room when you meet your blind date. What, are they scared?

2. Have sex in a closet
Or the shower. Or a cornfield. Or any other place where you've never done it before. Before the year is out, know each other in the biblical sense in a way that involves either rug burn, a foot cramp, a hilarious story to tell afterward — or all of the above.

3. Listen to my inner sage
Looking back on some of the bad-news guys I've dated in the last few years, I realize that my intuition always had their number, often saying things like, 'This would be your cue to run screaming in the opposite direction, MP!' Too bad I never listened — and stuck it out far longer than I should have. So here's to the small voice inside of you that wants to keep your heart whole and your mind unscrambled: Listen up!

4. Put myself first
Relationships have a way of nibbling at the time you need for yourself. When you notice that your plans with friends or yourself keep crumbling, put up a big, red DGT sign in your head: Don't Go There! You (and your partner) will be so much happier when you keep your personal batteries charged.

5. Not make a mountain out of a molehill
Whenever you're tied up in knots over what he said (or didn't say), what he did (or didn't do), the truth is: You lose. You lose peace of mind, time, sleep, basic sanity. Don't dwell on little grievances. Instead, register your annoyance and move on. A wise friend of mine has resolved to set an egg timer for five minutes whenever her husband ticks her off. She has that time set aside to vent, and then it's back to her day.

6. Make time for lovemaking
Nothing smothers desire — and with it, love-like exhaustion. Resolve to stay home more often so that you and your loved one have chunks of uninterrupted lounging time that are conducive to connecting, really connecting. One friend who has adopted this strategy points out that when you stay home, you also save money. More sex and more $$$? Now, that's a resolution with a payoff!

7. Break free of dating ruts
If you have any dating principles like 'I won't date blondes or men under six feet tall,' ditch 'em! In honor of 2002, dump those so-last-year Dos and Don'ts. Date a guy who isn't cute, but makes you laugh. Take a chance on someone who's not your 'type:' a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker. Break out of your mold, and you give yourself a chance to break free of other patterns that have haunted your past relationships.

8. Wear cute stuff
You know that friend of yours who always looks hot? Who never lets anyone forget that she's a woooooman and always gets lots of attention? You may hate her, but you have to give her props for her creative, eye-catching use of curves (the same curves that you hesitate to reveal.) Therefore, make her take you shopping. Tomorrow. Think of it as a down-payment on all the male interest you're about to get.

9. Accept him
This is hard. You don't always want to accept him As Is. After all, you're not getting a discount on this particular model. But love, at its best, is about valuing the differences. See him for who he is, not who you want him to be, and you may discover that there's even more of him to adore.

10. Have more fun together
I've been studying the couples I know who are happy. The common denominator? Laughter. It doesn't matter who's taking out the garbage — if a couple can joke around, their relationship is undoubtedly healthy. So, make some play time with your play mate. Get silly, whether it's playing X-rated Charades or having tickle fights. Make this a year you look back on with a smile.