Marriage & Wedding Information

10 Valentines Day Tips for Spouses Who Want to Improve Their Marriage


The best and most valuable gifts are often not material ones. While many spouses focus on Valentine's Day gifts such as jewelry or candy, spouses who are willing to invest the time and energy can give one of the most precious gifts possible-an improved, satisfying marriage.

Long after the romantic card is tucked away and the box of candy is empty, this marriage-enriching gift will still be appreciated and enjoyed. Follow these ten steps to give yourself and your spouse an unforgettable Valentine's Day gift:

1. Direct your energy into becoming the kind of marriage partner you'd like to have. It's easy to criticize a spouse for not being perfect while we overlook our own imperfections.

2. Focus on how you need to change in order to be a better partner. The only person you can ultimately change is yourself.

3. Accept responsibility for your own actions. You take a giant leap forward in growth the day you can say, "I'm sorry for my actions" instead of rationalizing and offering excuses.

4. Minimize blame and resentment. They are toxic and can poison your marriage and your life.

5. Practice forgiveness, not to let your partner off the hook, but because you want to move forward without carrying the weight of past hurts.

6. Break your marriage goals down into small steps and begin taking action. It'll be easier to continue moving forward when you start seeing progress.

7. Adopt the philosophy expressed in the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me serenity to accept what I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

8. Focus on what you can do and give instead of keeping tabs about who is doing the most or making the greatest effort in your marriage.

9. Strive for balance in your own life between family, friends, work, sports, hobbies, recreation, and other interests. Then you won't be as likely to obsess about the imperfections in your partner.

10. Reward and praise yourself often for hanging in there in a challenging situation. You deserve it!

Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-author of Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says "I don't love you anymore!" This e-book is available at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com, where you can also sign up for the free Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine. Nancy can be contacted at Nancy@KeepYourMarriage.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Going Out: The Secret Marriage: Wedding Daze
RedOrbit, TX - Oct 4, 2008
By Kenneth Walton DOMENICA CIMAROSA HAS suffered understandably from a mixed press. That was partly due to an accident of birth. Slightly older than Mozart, ...


Wedding superstitions and customs
Culpeper Star Exponent, VA - Oct 5, 2008
Well, it’s official! The date is set and the church is confirmed. Steve has been over here for the past week so as you can imagine it has been a bit of a ...


BBC News

What choice now for the Big Day?
BBC News, UK - Oct 1, 2008
By Victoria Bone Couples in England now have a greater choice about which church they can choose for their wedding. They can marry anywhere they have lived ...
Wedding Bells Ring In Legal Change Sky News
all 120 news articles


Readers recommend: songs about machines, robots and computers
guardian.co.uk, UK - Sep 25, 2008
Pocket calculators at the ready ... how many Kraftwerk nominations will get donded this week? Photograph: Reuters If I had listened to the recommendations ...


The facts of life: marriage
Independent, UK - Sep 15, 2008
The number of marriages in England and Wales that were the first marriage for both partners peaked in 1940 at 426100 when 91 per cent of all marriages were ...


Hallmark adds gay marriage cards
Los Angeles Times, CA - Sep 15, 2008
By Sarah Skidmore, AP The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards -- featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or ...


Post Chronicle

Jimmy Smits Stabs Stuntman and Howard Stern Takes Second Stab At ...
Post Chronicle - Oct 4, 2008
Howard Stern finally took a stab at marriage, wedding longtime girlfriend Beth Ostrosky. Smits grabbed a real knife instead of a prop knife during shooting ...


PGI, GroomGroove.com host proposal contest
National Jeweler Network, NY - Sep 25, 2008
New York—Platinum Guild International (PGI) and engagement and wedding Web site GroomGroove.com have partnered to launch a marriage-proposal story contest. ...


My big gay Norwegian wedding, by Brian Paddick
Mail on Sunday, UK - Sep 13, 2008
By Brian Paddick Having tried and failed at marriage once before, I had no intention of ever doing it again. My ex-wife Mary had been very kind to me and ...


Lindsay Lohan This Close To Marrying Samantha Ronson, Maybe
hecklerspray, Los Angeles - Sep 11, 2008
There used to be a time when Lindsay Lohan only loved booze, drugs, sex, partial nudity and films about winking Volkswagens, but not any more. ...

Marriage-Wedding - Google News

home | site map
© 2006