Personal Growth
Passover’s Message to Iran, Hamas and You
5 min read
3 min read
How many myths are you living with?
Marriage and hard work are a package deal. Even the happiest of couples have their fair share of challenges and soul searching. Here are some common myths about happy couples, busted.
Fact: Happy couples invest in the art of active listening and respectful communication to better understand and empathize with their partners. Strong marriages are built on effective communication and understanding.
Fact: Put two individuals under one roof for an entire lifetime- and disagreements will inevitably crop up. Happy couples know how to have a good fight, dealing with the issue at hand without conflagrating it and listening to each with respect. Happy couples know how to move on and forgive.
Fact: Different hobbies, interests, passions, and even short-term goals need not make or break a partnership. A shared vision and long-term goal are more integral for a relationship to take root and blossom.
Fact: Happy partners are not afraid of pursuing ambitions outside of their immediate relationship. They understand that when they are free to be themselves – unique individuals with unique experiences – they can enrich and give more to the relationship.
Fact: I have seen happy couples with personality types that do not seem compatible at all. And I have seen couples that are compatible in personality, but unhappy. Utter devotion, self-sacrifice, and respect for the other person (and his differences) are more integral for the blossoming of a friendship than social compatibility.
Fact: Some disagreements remain simply that – disagreements. It’s okay to disagree on certain issues without allowing it to destroy the foundation of a marriage. Happy couples respect each other's differences in opinion. Instead of harping on them, they work with them.
Fact: Some things are better left unsaid. Some feelings are better left alone, or at least until the initial resentment, frustration, and anger subside a bit. And some things are better brushed aside, forgiven, and forgotten.
Fact: Matches are made in heaven, not in our rosy visions of the perfect spouse. No one is perfect and disappointments are inevitable. Happy couples learn to appreciate their partner's attributes and accept their flaws.
Fact: Not all marriages are Cinderella-style happily-ever-after from the beginning. Even happy couples have had their fair share of bumps, disappointments, and unpleasantries from the start. Happy couples understand that a good marriage takes investment. Happy couples were determined to become happy couples.
Even happy couples have unique challenges and struggles to overcome in the journey called marriage. The key is to just keep on climbing, together.