When you enter into a relationship, it does not mean that your personal life stops. Your life does not totally change because you are with another person. You have to maintain your own individuality. You have to have your own personal goals. You need to maintain the friendships, hobbies and interests that you had before you met your partner. If you give these up for the sake of your relationship, you are giving up your life. When your partner first met you, they were attracted to you as an individual. It's important that you keep your individuality-- that's what attracted your partner in the first place. Maintaining your individuality will enable you and your partner to build a mature loving relationship.
Many relationships fail today because one partner has given up too much of themselves for the other. You have to love yourself first, before you can love another. If you enter a relationship and give up all the things that define you as an individual, you are not giving yourself the love that you need. Sooner or later, if you lose your identity, if you stop giving to yourself, you will be unable to give to your relationship.
SOURCE: http://www.enotalone.com/article/1092.
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POSTSCRIPT: This is my personal take on this matter, this article is an eye-opener to all singles out there. We can't be somebody else's shadow just because we agree to be in partnership with him/her. We have a life of our own, and ideally, we should keep our individuality intact. Having said that, we should not allow ourselves to be dictated upon by A-N-Y person.
I know how it feels to lose one's self in someone. Been there, done that. And there is no way I will allow myself to be stuck in that kind of rut. Losing one's identity for the satisfaction of a partner is like losing one's self-worth.
