The secrets of a long and lasting marriage

On this day of nearly disposable relationships, a question on the minds of many singles and couples is know how to create a lasting marriage that will keep its vibrancy over the years.

Years ago we took ballroom dancing lessons with another couple, Sam and Rosie, Otto's friends for many years. They have been married for 24 years and by spending a lot of time with them we got to get a glimpse of why they still have such a great marriage.

Several things became very clear to us when we had dinner together after our lesson…

1. They were good friends

2. They enjoyed being together

3. Their marriage was always passionate

And perhaps most importantly…

4. Although they are very different people, like very different things, and have very different ideas about some things, they don't hurt each other for having those differences.

As relationship coaches, one of the biggest obstacles to creating lasting love filled with passion, life, and love is that both people hurt each other for being different.

When Sam talked about his love for basketball and participating in organized street basketball tournaments, he wasn't wrong Rosie when she said she loved spending time at do his own thing when he was playing.

Now we all want to support each other and that can be very important in a relationship. What we're saying is don't make the other person wrong because they're different and they want different things than what you want.

We heard them talking and laughing about their different packing styles before a trip. Sam is packing several days before the trip and Rosie is packing for the last few minutes before they leave.

This difference would really be a bone of contention for many couples, but not for Sam and Rosie. They just laughed it off when they described what usually happens before a trip.

In our own lives, we are both very different. One thing we recognized was that to keep our passion and love alive, we had to learn to honor each other, even though our differences tended to drive us crazy.

What we found was that by honoring and appreciating each other's differences, we actually grew closer by enjoying similar activities.

Susie watches and even enjoys Cincinnati Reds baseball with Otto now and that certainly wasn't the case a few years ago. And of course, Otto agreed to take dance lessons which Susie loved!

But we are also free to do our own thing.

So what we've learned from our own lives and the lives of our friends is to honor, laugh at, and appreciate your differences if you want to create a long, lasting, and passionate relationship. who has a continuous and continuous life.

We invite you to notice the differences that are not only apparent if you are in an intimate relationship or any other relationship you care about.

You might wonder how you can start to appreciate, laugh and enjoy these differences. If you do, we know you will feel much more joy and happiness in your life.

If you have a question about having a lasting marriage or relationship that is alive and growing, ask it here…