Writer, speaker, comedian Patty K and her guy Joe ran into one of those “what do we do now?” choices recently. She enthusiastically encouraged him to go after a dream of his only to find it landed her in her idea of a nightmarish lifestyle. Should Joe give up his dream? Should she tolerate being miserable? Did he have to choose between love and an unhappy companion? Did Patty have to...
Pay attention to Steven Stosny’s wonderful advice about using at home the communication techniques you learned in the therapist’s office or in a book. In Marriage Problems: How Communication Techniques Can Make Them Worse, Stosny writes: Early in your relationship you chose to feel connected, just as, if you’re thinking about communication techniques now, you’re choosing...
“I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled.” At some point in your marriage, there is a high probability you will reach a point where temptation hits at the exact same moment you...
Are you the sort of person who takes good care of your mate? Brings a fresh box of tissues bedside during the flu? Gets up to make breakfast every morning? Washes, matches, and lovingly folds socks? Shows up for a goodbye kiss at the door? Fusses over the kids to make sure they feel securely cared for? How much nurturing do you feel you deserve in return? Great kindness is a character strength...
Whenever I declare that there are things worth learning about how to succeed at marriage, I risk offending good friends and even relatives who have divorced. Divorce is often painful, almost always life-disrupting. How cruel to even suggest it wasn’t necessary and the result of a bad match-up of partners. I was thinking about this earlier today and how similar it is to a business failure...
