When do relationships need an exit strategy?

My latest blog post is inspired by a status update that my friend put up; he says, "If you want to have a happy ending, you got to know when to end the story...." No matter how precious your relationship is, an exit strategy is imperative.

I am not a big fan of sharing relationship advice and quotations on Facebook but this one aptly explains my point, "At some point you will realize that you have done too much for someone, that the only next possible step to do is to stop. Leave them alone. Walk away. It's not like you're giving up, and it's not like you shouldn't try. It's just that you have to draw the line of determination from desperation. What is truly yours will eventually be yours, and what is not, no matter how hard you try, will never be."

Often I have heard friends complain about how badly they have been treated in relationships, how they always attract the wrong kind of people and how people just exploit their naiveté. The truth is that some of us allow others complete control of the relationship, of our emotions and consequently, our happiness.

I am not advocating that people end relationships at the first sign of trouble but after repeated attempts if things just don't seem to be working out, then there's honestly no point clinging to it. It's important to feel good about yourself and if a relationship seems to be sapping the happiness out of your life then it's time to reevaluate the dynamics.

Natalie Lue says in her article that it is important to regain control of a relationship that you have perceived as uncontrollable and create your own closure. The truth is no one likes to walk away from people you hold close to your heart but sometimes you try so hard not to lose someone that you end up losing yourself in the process. And that is when you need to step back, evaluate the gives and gets of your relationship and take the difficult step to detach yourself. It's time to shift the focus from the other person to the self and assess the ROI (Return on Investment). If you truly know that you have done enough to salvage the relationship, maybe it's time to move on and let things go.

Like my friend said a happy ending completely depends on whether we know when to end the story.

Disclaimer: You wouldn't necessarily apply the same logic to marriage that needs far more consideration before you start thinking of an exit strategy.