You are dating your ex again and so afraid of making the same mistakes that resulted in your breakup before. How do you make it work this time where it didn't work before? Second chances are wonderful and frightening at the same time. You want to hope for the best but you're so afraid to try. It's completely understandable that you'd want a different outcome this time around. You're giving it another go because you believe there's something special about this relationship with THIS particular other person. It's worth taking a little extra time to make sure you're doing things right this time around.

The first time you dated, you were probably both largely led by emotion. It's a wonderful feeling to get swept away in a wave of emotion. It can be truly exhilarating. However, after the newness and emotional "highs" wear down the relationship can feel a little more mundane and less extraordinary if you allow it to. The best thing to do this time around is avoid ever allowing your relationship to stagnate and become stale. How do you do this? You start by making a commitment to find something new to love about your partner each and every day you're together. It sounds like a huge challenge but the more you find to love about the person you're dating the more reasons you'll find to want to keep dating.

But the benefits go beyond this even. The more time you spend looking for new reasons to fall in and be in love with your partner, the more your partner is going to find good things in you and the deeper he or she is likely to fall in love with you. You both win this way and will not need to look for new and/or inventive ways to get your ex back anytime soon if you practice this to the point of perfection. Here are a couple of other things you'll want to try to keep your romance alive this time around where it faltered before.

Hold Hands Often

If holding hands isn't your thing consider different types of cuddling and hugging. The point is that the more often you touch each other in casually intimate ways the more deeply you'll touch each other's hearts in the end. Physical intimacy doesn't always have to lead to or result in sex. It's the casual intimacy that keeps couples loving and affectionate for the duration and not the flames of passion that often burn brightly but briefly.

Share Some Secrets; Keep Others

It's great to be open and honest with your partner. But that doesn't mean you have to share every thought that crosses your mind. It also doesn't mean that you must be a completely open book to your partner. Some secrets and mysteries are best when discovered over time. Think about it, how likely would you be to read a lengthy novel if the ending was printed on the first page BEFORE you grew to care about the characters inside?

You have already shared a lot since this is your second time around. Second chance dating is your opportunity to save your relationship and have the happy ending you had hoped for before.