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Men
The Woman in Your Life: Romance
respect /rĭ-spĕkt′/
transitive verb
To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem or admire.
"All the other scholars respect him."
To avoid interfering with or intruding upon.
"Please respect my privacy."
To avoid violating.
"I respected the speed limit throughout the trip."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition •
love /lŭv/
noun
A strong feeling of affection and concern toward another person, as that arising from kinship or close friendship.
A strong feeling of affection and concern for another person accompanied by sexual attraction.
A feeling of devotion or adoration toward God or a god.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Rather than throwing out a fistful of research in the fields of psychology and psychiatry, let me simplify this for you, gentlemen:
Men
Self-Esteem is derived from being respected, the feeling/belief/conclusion of being impactful.
Women
Women feel worthy (self-esteem) from being loved.
Some Definitions . . .
Romance: Respect and Love
Men, while your chief sources of self-esteem in relationships with people are typically generated via respect, this is not the case for the woman/women you love. It never fails, when I ask women who are in relationships, is it true you care deeply, perhaps mostly to feel 1) Loved, 2) Safe, and 3) Desired (in more ways than just sexually)? Invariably they confirm. So, what are you waiting for? Those are your marching orders. How can you most effectively achieve this for the woman you love? I can't comprehensively answer that, as I don't know you or her. But here are a few good tips:
Grab & Go . . . !
Compliments (genuine and given often, both in private and in public)
Find words to strengthen her feelings of 1) Being loved (tell her), 2) Safety (you're not going anywhere, you'll never leave, cheat, lie, etc.), 3) Desired (you "want" the things she does, how she looks, etc.)
Contact (both physical and time spent together)
Physical: run your hand over her shoulder as you pass; put your arm around her; hold her hand; kiss her often, etc.
Time Spent: Find time slots to spend just with her (cancel the boy's poker or football game(s) if necessary, even business appts.)
Gifts
Give her random gifts periodically (flowers, favorite coffee drink, spa visits, etc.)
Do Things
Help her with chores, tasks, back rubs, help with the kids, take her mom to dinner (no complaining on that last one!)