Building a relationship is like building a house. It all starts with a good foundation, without this foundation it will just fall and the house will be a failure. Relationships need a foundation and then love, growth, and compassion will follow.

I went out (okay, I sent texts) to some of my closest friends to find out what they think is the most important thing in a relationship.

What was the verdict? Communication. Trust. Loyalty. Happiness.

Communication.

I believe that communication is the foundation to a great relationship. As I have told my boyfriend, be 100% because when you are it makes everything else easier. Full communication entails that each of you are on the same page with life, adventure, etc. There cannot be a relationship without knowing what one another is feeling or thinking, you are one.

"I think the most important thing in a relationship is communication. If you relationship doesn't have good communication then you can't build a foundation of trust which is super important and essential for you and your significant other in terms of happiness and the longevity of the relationship." - T.C.

"Communication. No matter how well you get to know someone, you'll never be able to read their mind. You should always be comfortable to speak your mind with your s.o." - C.J.

"Communication. It's because at the end of the day it's you guys against anything. Against problems/issues, the world, etc. You need to tell each other how you feel and how what the other person did makes you feel in order for them to understand and adjust. And you have to listen and understand what they say. Nothing can be resolved if the other person doesn't know or understand the problem or if there is one." - C.R.

"Communicaiton. The most important part of teamwork is communicating - being able to effectively share your thoughts, motives, feelings, and any other input. That being said, a relationship is one of the most important "teams" you'll ever be apart of." - B.G. and C.S.

"For me it's communication. I chose this because there is no point in having a relationship if you can't communicate with your significant other. The worst thing ever is feeling uncertain and misunderstood when all of that can be avoided by communicating in the first place." - N.C.

Trust & Loyalty.

Trust and loyalty go hand-in-hand in a relationship. When you are loyal to your partner it shows that they can trust you and when they can trust you it makes the relationship easy. You are trusting your significant other with your life and your heart, expecting them to care for you through the good times and bad. Being loyal is never giving up what you had previously promised for the relationship, taking their life and caring for it.

"Trust because without trust there is no love, honesty, or anything substantial to build on. To have a good relationship you must trust the other person with everything, your life, your secrets, your heart." - T.D.

"Trust. I think trust is the most important thing in a relationship but at the same time the number one thing a lot of relationships struggle with. Trusting someone means you're basically giving them your heart, to guard and protect. You're trusting that they're not going to hurt you. They are there for you physically, emotionally and mentally; to build you up. You can depend on them." - A.H.

"I think that trust & loyalty are the two most important things in a relationship because they go hand in hand. Trust is the foundation of every good relationship, if you cannot trust your boyfriend/girlfriend, friend, etc. the relationship will never progress & you'll never really be happy. Loyalty I think ties in to that because loyalty is how you build trust. If you're not loyal from the start, the other person in the relationship will never trust you. If you're loyal to begin with but then later on you aren't, you lose their trust & I think that once trust is lost, it's never regained. At least fully." - M.A.

Happiness.

Pickup lines, knock-knock jokes, Netflix shows, dates, find whatever makes you BOTH happy. Find things you are both passionate about doing or watching and make the best of it. A smile takes less muscles than a frown does. When do I smile the most? Simply when I get a hug or when my significant other sings to me.

"I'd say make the other person happy. If you can make the other person laugh, I think that's the most important thing." - L.M.

Food for thought...

"I think for any relationship to be successful, there needs to be loving communication, appreciation, and understanding." - Miranda Kerr