It’s common to conflate the idea of a soul mate with that of a life partner; you might think they’re exactly the same thing, or that any difference between the two concepts is purely academic.
However, a life partner is someone trustworthy and dependable with whom you spend significant time, while a soulmate is a person who arrives in your life specifically to enrich it, encourage your development and push you to grow into a higher state of consciousness. Both are incredibly important!