The secret to understanding what your man wants and getting him to say, “I love you,” is knowing what he needs in the relationship. The best gift ideas to keep a man attentive and interested in the relationship are not always about romance.

• Men are generally turned on by thoughtful sensitivity. Men need you to be able to share your thoughts and be interested in what he has to say. Please take advantage of any interest he shows to share deeper connections with him.

• Men want you to encourage them, not dictate. Allow him to set personal goals that he is really capable of. If you sit down and compare his goals with what you would like for the relationship, perhaps he will be turning round to what you have workload-wise. Men don’t like to feel like they are being replaced.

• Men like understanding women. Actually, stop trying so hard to communicate. Simply say what you think, and your man will appreciate your honesty. Lack of emotional intelligence is a bigger barrier to relationship success than physical intelligence. So stop taking advice from your girlfriends on how to deal with your problems. For relationship success, deal with them yourself.

• One of the best gift ideas for any guy is a girlfriend he can trust to be honest with him. The relationship path forward ought to be worked out fully before involving emotions. A girlfriend who can be trusted to tell him the truth is a great prize.

• Prefer to use cash settlement instead of gifts as a form of support. Go the extra yard to name a baby with one of his favorite pet names: Prince. If you can afford it, fulfill his needs for Bubbles, Flowers, and other candy (and other assorted goods) on a much more meaningful level. Show him his importance in your life.

• Once you understand that men are visual creatures, be careful to choose clothing that flatters your figure without revealing too much skin. Be sure you do not wear a bikini or too little or too much; you don’t want to give him the wrong idea. Your man wants to be with you and not see you walk around in some kind of old age. Suck it up, ladies.

• Men are generally quite tidy. If your man is the critical type, you will confess to not liking his tidy house and floor-disturbed pillows in the bedroom. If your man is one of the peace-keepers, he won’t mind a little chore like vacuuming and picking homework off the floor. So, make your home a comfortable one.

• Very few men like it when they sense that their partner is constantly nagging them about ‘Nothing’. So, women try to curb this habit. It doesn’t take much attention: one or two nights of not talking, nothing more. But then, again, men might be expected to head the cleaning, so be considerate and say please and thank you!

• Never, never, never talk about your exes nor your personal space. Your man wants to know how he measures up in comparison with other men you may have had communication with, and, second, how you valued your time together. This means that you also need to consider his needs as well and don’t sneak around behind his back.

• Take the time to examine yourself and change that negative way of thinking. Everything hides a little problem. Get rid of that ‘I can’t do this attitude. Basically, men don’t understand the need for problem-solving. So you have to fill that need in your mind and clean up the mental mess. Don’t complain about the small stuff. And put yourself in the driver’s seat. You’ll be surprised at how many men will appreciate it.

• Finally, get some action- Finding a partner may mean finding love that lasts. Expect the first few dates to be awkward, but things will be easier once you get the hang of it. So, if you’re looking for someone cute, try to look for those attractive men that you may have missed in the past. It’s cute to meet new people each time too!