How to Have a Great Marriage

I've been fortunate to have great role models in my life of one set of grandparents that have been married for over 60 years. I've learned a lot from watching them and have applied what works to my own marriage. In this article, I'll share some tips that I think are helpful.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• The desire to have a great marriage.

1. First of all, you need to learn a few things about how your husband or wife thinks. There are several books out there for this. Probably two of the best are "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman and "Personality Plus" by Florence Littauer. There's also a book series, with one for women and one for men, titled "For Women Only" (by Shaunti Feldhahn) and "For Men Only" (by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn) that go into the differences of how men and women are wired to think. Taking the time to do this helps a lot.
2. Especially if you have different personalities, you have to learn how to be forgiving when your spouse does something a different way than you would. There is often more than one way to do a lot of things to get the same result.
3. Appreciate each other's strengths and weaknesses, and help balance each other out over time. After 3 years of marriage, I'm a lot more confident and bold because my husband's personality has rubbed off on me. During that same time, he's become more of a people person. Marriage is more than just a piece of paper or a partnership. It's about growing together.
4. Do nice things for each other without being asked. If you look out for each other with purpose, life is a whole lot smoother. It's not about waiting around for the other person to take action, when he or she may have no idea of what you're wanting.
5. Laughter and fun are vital to a marriage. Make it a point to spend time with each other even if your life is busy. This can sometimes be hard when you're both working, but make sure your priorities are in check. Money is important, but not to the point of totally neglecting relationships.

Tips & Warnings

• Love is both an emotion and a decision. As a marriage matures, it changes. Don't be afraid of that, but make sure that you have a good foundation of friendship and love.