Happiness in Marriage Did you know that over 96% of all people will marry or come together as a couple during their lifetimes? The fact is, we don’t like being alone. We want to find a partner and settle into a life with someone with whom we can share our life experiences. Furthermore, according to […]
A belief of mine is that you have to take good care of yourself to have a healthy and happy relationship. Taking good care of yourself is your job and not something you can sluff onto your partner. Of course, the beginning of a relationship feels so different. I was just scanning face book yesterday […]
Taking offense is being hurt, upset or angry by something your spouse (or anyone else) says or does. Always at the heart of taking offense is feeling treated unfairly. Your partner has been insensitive, inconsiderate, dismissing, condescending or disparaging in some way. What you’re hearing or how you’re being treated doesn’t fit with how you […]
In a previous article, I introduced a four-phase process for resolving conflict in marriage and other relationships. Here is a quick review of those phases. The first phase is preparation in which you put yourself in the mental state to step up to conflict in a helpful way. Phase two is invitation in which you […]
When we get clear about boundaries we can make choices rather than just react. We become empowered. We can now search for creative solutions to what seemed to be intractable problems.
Expectations are the specific beliefs that you have brought into your marriage about the way things will or should be. In general, if your expectations are met then you are happy. If not, you experience disappointment and frustration. Therefore, understanding and learning to negotiate your expectations is a key factor in your marital success.
For many couples marriage is a difficult journey. Since the early 1970’s close to 50% of all marriages in America have ended in divorce. An even higher percentage of second marriages end in divorce. And many of those couples who stick it out express dissatisfaction and, at some point, seriously consider ending their relationship. Indeed, […]
In our quest toward self actualization, I’ve asked to you look inward, and now we’ve started to look outward; namely, at the quality of your relationship with your life partner. Yesterday, you took a quiz about your relationship (if you didn’t catch that blog, click here). Today we’ll analyze your results. The statements break down […]
Whether you consider your marriage strong or weak, you can only benefit from strengthening it. Yesterday you did a self-assessment. Now let’s take a look at the triad that is your marriage – you, your partner, and the unique team that the two of you form together. Let’s begin with a little quiz. You can […]
A short time later, he heard Kathy’s SUV pull into the garage. He was surprised she didn’t immediately burst into the shop and light into him for not accepting Sam’s offer. When Susie called him to dinner, he realized why. Kathy brought the subject up not more than a couple minutes into the meal. “Sam […]
