Before I met my 2nd wife and after I divorced my 1st wife I had a torrid love affair with a woman who said we were soul mates. That lasted until she dumped me. I was crushed at the time, but a lot of years of therapy and reflection lead me to think it was a better ending than if we had stayed together.

Believing a relationship should take no work if it is "meant to be" is a sure-fire way to never having a relationship that lasts.

My 2nd wife and I have shared values and desires, even though we come from very different cultures and countries half a world apart. Even after more than 2 decades together there are things we don't understand about each other, and we both work on those areas. That "work" is what makes a relationship last.

I don't think I'm saying anything that hasn't been written or said a million times, but my anecdotal evidence backs it up.