It's sad but true, but most relationships die of boredom. Familiarity breeds contempt. A relationship that starts out with dancing, fine dining and flying kites on the beach soon turns into watching your object of desire clipping his toenails together in front of the television. Or he finds you answering his phone call with a decidedly unromantic: ''Yeah, waddya' want.'' 
Another fine cliche is ''couples that play together, stay together.'' Studies have shown that eighty percent of couples who divorce say they grew apart because they no longer shared interesting activities together. Romance is taken over by complacency, apathy, duty and a sense of dogged obligation. 

The idea is to keep your partner interested in you by flirting with him or her every day... Practice what I call the FLIRT rule. 

F stands for flirting. Most people stop flirting, after they feel they have hooked the partner, because they think they are finally ''safe.'' Flirting keeps the relationship fresh. It's friendly, it's fun and flatters your partner. Also flirting with others is not a bad idea, if you want to keep your partner on his or her toes. 

L stands for love. Love is just not sexual, it also includes showing tenderness, compassion, mercy, understanding, affection and appreciation for your partner. 

It is also means being civil, courteous and polite. Don't be demanding of your partner - say please and thank you. Don't verbally criticize him or her when he or she makes a mistake Verbal criticism is a real turn-off and breeds a resentment that can brew into a passive-aggressive avoidance of sexual activity. 

Don't turn disputes into power or ego struggles - make it a rule never to go to bed angry with each other. Count to ten if before you open your mouth and consider if what you want to say is something that you would want sent to you. 

Understand that your partner is a separate entity from you and not a possession or something that you can take for granted. Relationships are earned, not entitlements. 

Make sure you give your physical partner a daily dose of affection. Some relationship experts say you should never let your partner leave without giving them a kiss that lasts at least one full minute. Also, when it comes to relationships, flattery gets you everywhere; express appreciation for your partner by giving them gifts or doing small favours as a token of your appreciation. 

I stands for intimacy. When you get in the bedroom, turn the television off. Take a bath together every once again. Touch your partner often and never ever shut down the avenues of verbal communication to punish each other.

Be open and receptive to your partner's loving overtures, no matter how tired or anxious you have been during the day. Many people make the mistake of perceiving their partner as a whipping post or punching bag that can somehow ''take it.'' Usually they find out this is not true long after the partner is gone. 

R stands for risk. Never, ever totally commit to your partner in a way that implies that you will never, ever leave him or her. Don't fall into co-dependency. Draw boundaries. Make it clear to him or her that there are plenty of more fish in the sea if he or she shows the slightest disinterest. 

Don't do the same things every day. Change your routines. Change your appearance. Always keep an element of risk, surprise or unpredictability in the relationship to keep your partner wondering what you might do next. Although this tactic might sound a tad too strategic or manipulative, it is key to keeping your partner's sexual interest in you alive. However, this does not mean you should compare your lover to other lovers or create jealousy on purpose. That is a common form of psychological abuse that can lead to verbal abuse, misunderstandings and even physical abuse in a marriage. 

T stands for trust. There is nothing more tedious than a liar or a cheat. Once a cycle of betrayal has begun, it becomes repetitive, with one partner repeating his or her actions and the other seething with recriminations and resentments. The minute one partner betrays another, it is over. Don't stick around to give this person a second chance. Partners who show contempt for each other yet don't have the courage to separate when the relationship is not working out are not only the most mundane creatures on earth, but they become very boring for others to deal with. Don't be afraid of change, if decay does set in. 

According to relationship experts, the best way to keep your partner's heart pumping for you is to always have them identify you with the idea of excitement. If they identify you with unpleasant qualities, such as control, clinginess, complacency or even too much emotional security, the relationship is not likely to last. In fact, evolutionary biologists tell us that taking a partner to a scary movie or on a thrilling amusement ride can rev up one's sex life, as the same chemicals in our brain that are responsible for creating fear also create sexual desire. 

There are also some physical moves that you can make to show that you are interested in the opposite sex. There's turning your body so that it faces your partner, and the batting of lashes or bashful averting of eyes. However, one of the best ways to make a deep, lasting soul-connection is to lock both of your gazes and enjoy the mirror of Divine Love that you see reflected there.