There are many misconceptions about the term soul mate and that of a life

partner. A soulmate is someone who comes into your life to teach you, enrich you, push
you and transcend you into a higher state of being and consciousness. A life partner is a
companion whom you trust and depend on during your life.
HERE ARE 5 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A SOULMATE AND LIFE PARTNER:
1. A SOUL MATE FULFILLS A LESSON IN YOUR LIFE.
Soulmates can enter your life masked as friends, family members, and lovers. They fill a
passion and desire that needs to be learned. Once the assignment and guidance is
completed a soul mate usually exists the picture, often times leaving an inconceivable
amount of heart ache.
A life partner has similar interests in your life. This person is the cheerleader, the pillar of
strength and support that encourages you to take risks. Unlike the soulmate, a life
partner sticks around regardless of what obstacles and challenges are ahead. Life
partners are spiritually and emotionally connected without egotistical notions.
2. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN SOUL CONNECTIONS.
Soulmates have a deep connection through heart and consciousness. They hit the ego
and bring about turmoil. The relationships are intense and full of transitions. These
beautiful experiences usually end in broken hearts. Soul mates bring with them karmic
lessons that need to be completed in this incarnation.
Life partners arrive at a moment when there is self love and acceptance. You are no
longer needing to fulfill an emptiness that cannot be explained. These partners join you
with similar stories. They are there for the long haul.
A soulmates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your
obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so
desperate and out of control that you have to tranform your life. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert
3. THERE IS AN ATTRACTION THAT GOES BEYOND THIS TIMELINE.
When you meet your soulmate, you feel as if you have known them forever. You
understand each other and have similar ways of thinking. Your childhoods have similar
stories. This is where the intensity in soul mates starts. There is a knowing that
magnetically attracts you to each other. These relationships can be chaotic and
destructive since there are levels of mirroring one another: the flaws and habits.
Whereas, life partners come from different paths and backgrounds. The differences
enhance the emotional connection. You want to know more and learn from each other.
You feel at ease in their presence, and this turns into a friendship that is profound and
everlasting. Love grows with each passing day.
Important encounters are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other.
~Paulo Coelho

4. A SOUL MATE KNOWS YOU INTUITIVELY.

There is a higher connection between thinking and feeling. You know each others
thoughts and desires. Soulmates do not need words to convey their ideas and
emotions. They have been where you are. They know how it is to feel a certain way.
Life partners are attracted to one another physically and crave to learn the others
values. The relationship is based on logical and intellectual stimulation rather than an
emotional one driven by soulmates full of highs and lows.
5. WHEN YOU MEET YOUR SOULMATE, YOU HAVE JUST HAD A HUGE LIFE
EXPERIENCE.
Soulmates arrive at a specific time when something needs to find closure. Amazing
lessons come through these relationships. The love that is shared is ecstatic and
sometimes full of hard obstacles. These two people are trying to find footing in a
relationship that brings out the best and worst in each other.
The relationship with a life partner is easy. It begins without work. It continues to
connect through the current day-to-day events. There is no past or future stories that
manipulate the union. There is just right now. These relationships have healthy
marriages because both sides are ready to create a oneness while still remaining in
their own individuality and authenticity.
It is very possible that your soulmate can also be your life partner. And, it is also
possible that the relationship with a life partner can become a profound soul connection.
The biggest difference between a life partner and a soulmate is that one is a choice and
the other one is not. There is no better or worst in these two types of relationships. Your
soul and your connections create these special bonds. Each person that enters your life
is a teacher and student.
Your soul mate makes you feel entirely intact, like no piece is missing from the
puzzle. A life partner, on the other hand, can be a great supporter and long-time
companion, but is limited in his or her capacity to enrich your spirit. ~ Dr.
Carmen Harra