| You need more than a marriage certificate and good | | | | chain-of-events that ultimately leads to action and |
| intentions to have a successful marriage. Commercial | | | | experience. Our reasons usually include making |
| television programming and advertising would have | | | | something better or different than they currently are. |
| you believe that finding a husband or wife is the | | | | To do something requiring great effort, we need an |
| difficult part of marriage; but, with over half of all | | | | incentive. In other words, there's got to be |
| marriages ending in divorce, it seems much easier to | | | | "something in it for me" in order for me to put |
| get married than it is to stay married. But there are | | | | energy into "it." To make a marriage work requires |
| things you can learn that will help you make your | | | | incentive; and to put work into a marriage requires |
| marriage a success. | | | | incentive, as well. A powerful incentive for working |
| There's no reason the honeymoon has to end. Of | | | | on your marriage is the realization that all marriages |
| course, there are several reasons honeymoons end; | | | | end in divorce or death; the quality of life between |
| but they really don't have to. Imagine if you loved | | | | now and then depends on your input. |
| the rain, snow, sleet, sun, heat, and cold; you'd never | | | | A willing partner is another absolute must-have if you |
| be able to blame the weather for your bad moods or | | | | want a successful marriage. Most people get married |
| ruined days. Likewise, if you want a successful | | | | for the wrong reasons; and most people don't know |
| relationship, you must learn to appreciate all parts of | | | | what to do with a spouse once they catch one. |
| your relationship; and that goes for both partners. | | | | They say, "The family that prays together stays |
| You can't simply blame others for "bumps" in your | | | | together;" and, if you understand the nature of |
| experience - to be successful, you have to learn and | | | | prayer - thinking - you understand that, if you don't |
| grow from them. Relationships require skills that must | | | | have a common vision, goal, or destination, then |
| be learned and practiced; and there are three | | | | you're moving in different directions and heading to |
| essential ingredients that any relationship needs to | | | | two different places. |
| succeed - or even survive. | | | | A little luck never hurt anyone; in fact, Love, |
| Essentially, you need 3-things in order to build a | | | | Understanding, Compassion, and Kindness (LUCK), are |
| successful marriage: | | | | absolutely essential to a successful marriage. Without |
| 1. Incentive | | | | understanding, people often go through life with no |
| 2. A willing partner | | | | more awareness of other people's needs and desires |
| 3. A little L.U.C.K. (Love; Understanding; Compassion; | | | | than they had as a child. If you want a happy |
| & Kindness) | | | | marriage, you need a happy partner; and the best |
| People need some incentive to take marriage | | | | way to make a partner happy is to be kind, |
| seriously enough to make it work. We all need a | | | | considerate, and loving. Also, compassion goes a long |
| reason to do anything we do - even if we don't | | | | way toward building trust and intimacy. Consider |
| know what the reason is. A reason is simply a | | | | these ingredients carefully; and, with a little LUCK, |
| thought - conscious or unconscious - that starts the | | | | maybe you'll create a relationship worth being in. |