Every relationship is a roller coaster, but being able to avoid preventable issues could help your relationship stay on the highs of the roller coaster.

There are a handful of important conditions in your life which you must be content with before even considering a relationship. The most important thing is to know and love yourself.

The only relationship that is guaranteed in life is the one you hold with yourself. Here are four must-haves for your next relationship:

1. Understand what you want from your life before you expect things from others, and love yourself first.

If you don’t learn to love yourself, you cannot love another person without hurting yourself, your partner or both. When you are single, you work on being better than who you were last year, last month or even yesterday. When you’re in a relationship, your focus (most of the time) is on the other person and how you can make the relationship better.

No one is perfect, but if you aren’t where you want to be in your life, you cannot build a better life with anyone else. There are a lot of people today who hope for others to save them, but only you can help you.

Love yourself before you love anyone else. You are your first priority. When in a committed relationship, if there is something you aren’t comfortable with, change your situation until you are comfortable.

There is no simpler way to lay out relationship etiquette. Most of what you should be expected to do before and during a relationship is common sense, but common knowledge isn’t so common anymore, so here it is.

2. If you are ready to commit to another individual, leave the past where it belongs.

There is absolutely no reason to drag baggage into your new relationship. It is frustrating when your partner has to deal with issues that should have been resolved when they were single.

It all goes back to working on yourself and being better than you were yesterday. Yes, everyone has insecurities, and “everyone” includes your partner, so heightening insecurities by constantly bringing up your past is upsetting, to say the least. These things add up, and eventually your partner will become tired of hearing about the ex you should’ve been over two years ago before you committed to a new relationship.

If you are afraid that the new person may be exactly like the last one, take some time to get to know him or her before committing.

3. Listen to Drake…

Just remember, you are your first priority. In order to make another person happy, you must be content with yourself. Know yourself, know your worth. Drake isn’t lying.