How do you know it’s love?

[FeliciaHardy]

So there is this guy I met on the job about two years ago. We clicked with each other and enjoyed each other’s company. We became best friends and at one point we had talked and found out that we both had feelings for each other but nothing ever went anywhere because he didn’t feel that he was marriage material. So we continued to stay friends and I have been looking for someone else to have a relationship with. But the thing is, ever since I met him, I have been constantly thinking about him everyday. He is always in my thoughts. I have tried to get my mind off him but always seems to go right back to him. I have never experienced this before and I was wondering is this just some infatuation that will eventually go away or is this love?

[Dennis]

Of course, this can't be love because you haven't been in a relationship with him. You are simply constantly thinking about the physical features you find attractive in him.

The only way to get rid of these thought is to start dating someone else. The moment you get into a relationship with another man, these thought about him will just fade away.

[Rachael]

Is it difficult sometimes to know the difference between love and infatuation? Do you jump with both feet into a relationship, only to find it over before it's even begun? If you're like many people who find themselves in the dating scene, you really want to find a lasting relationship. But it's often difficult to tell when you've find something more lasting - or just a temporary fling. When it comes to relationship advice - love or infatuation, take some advice from the experts:

Relationship advice - love is patient.

When you've just met a guy that you really like, everything seems to be in a rush. Your hormones are in overdrive, telling you to go, go, go and spend time with this guy. Nothing wrong with that - but what you are feeling at this point is more infatuation than love. When infatuation turns to love, you will feel more centered and less impatient. You will have developed enough confidence in the relationship that you are able to wait, to pace yourself, and not to be in such a hurry. People in love know how to savor the slower pace of a long-term relationship.

Relationship advice - love is gentle.

When you're in the first throes of passion, nothing else seems as important. Sexual chemistry and passion are great in a relationship, but true love goes a step further. It's not just about throbbing passion, but also tenderness. In a relationship that is more than just a crush or infatuation, you will want your soul - and his-- to be fulfilled and not just your sexual appetite. People in love know how to attend to the emotional needs of their partners - not just their physical ones.

Relationship advice - love is selfless.

Infatuation tends to make us a bit selfish. We feel that the world revolves around us and that being with this guy is the only thing that matters. Sure, we're all entitled to be a little self-centered at times. But in a mature relationship, our selfishness becomes selflessness. While we still look after ourselves, the other person's happiness becomes equally important to us. Rather than trying to figure out how we can manipulate a guy into giving us what we want, we focus on how we can make the relationship work for both of us. When you experience real love in your life, you become more caring about the people around you. People in love know how to be more optimistic about the world and more giving to others.

So if you're looking for relationship advice - love or infatuation? -- take inventory of yourself and your own attitudes. If you are feeling impatient and in a hurry all the time -- full of careless passion, and dwelling mainly on your needs, don't make any bets yet about the long-term prospects for your relationship. But if you have learned to slow down a little and just enjoy being together, have developed the emotional life of your relationship, and feel less self-centered than you once were - congratulations! Your relationship sounds like it is well on its way to being long-term. Short-term passion has turned to real love. Relationship advice, love? Sounds like you don't need it anymore.