Don’t you dare make the mistake of going into a marriage thinking that you have everything figured out already. That’s a very arrogant attitude to have and it’s likely that reality is going to slap you across the face with a whirlwind of humility and self-awareness. You really need to know what you’re getting into if you want to make your marriage work. And don’t also assume that life before and after marriage is going to be the same for the two of you. It’s not. Things get very real when you decide to tie the knot with one another; and to think that you can sustain a marriage without preparing yourself for it is just downright foolish.
Why do people get married anyway? Well, the short answer is that it’s the final step that two people take on the road to fully committing to one another. When you first start out a relationship with someone, you always hope that the both of you are eventually going to find yourselves here – in a position to really spend the rest of your lives together. You get to know one another and you put yourselves out there. Sure, you have your fair of problems along the way; but somehow, your love has always been enough to pull you through.
You have been so committed to making things work with each other and you both feel like you are ready to take things up a notch. You are ready to break through that ceiling. You want to step up to the next level in life and love – and that’s marriage. But are you prepared for it? Well, no one ever really knows if they’re ready for it or not. But what you can do is put yourselves in the best position to succeed as a married couple. You want to make sure that you are doing your best in making yourselves aware of the reality of the situation and the gravity of the decision that you’re going to make together.
Granted, things are going to be different for all couples, but most principles are going to be consistent all throughout. Marriages are great. They are the foundation of starting a family. And you always want to make sure that you have a strong foundation that you can fall back on in the future. And how exactly do you do that? Knowledge is key. You don’t want to be blindsided by any surprises in a marriage that you should have known all along. You don’t want to have any wrong expectations of marriage before you start to get right into the thick of things. And that’s what this article is for.
It’s not exactly going to guarantee a successful marriage for you; that all depends on how hard you’re willing to work for your love. But it’s going to give you a better idea of what to expect once you do get married. The more accurate your expectations, the better equipped you will be to handle all the challenges that come with being married to someone. So without much further ado, here are 5 things you need to know if you want a successful marriage.
1. Sex is going to feel like a chore sometimes, and that’s okay.
Sex isn’t always going to be so fun and exciting. In fact, it might even feel like a chore or a burden that you just need to get out of the way; something you need to do just for the sake of doing it. And that’s normal.
2. There will be moments wherein you will want to strangle your partner.
You aren’t always going to be seeing your partner in the best light. Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say. So there will be times wherein you will absolutely loathe your partner; but know that that hatred is always temporary. Love should always be the constant.
3. You will be pushed to a breaking point.
There will come a time in your relationship wherein you will really question whether you both still have what it takes to keep your marriage alive. And it’s important during these moments to always keep things in perspective; and always communicate with one another.
4. You’re going to have to sacrifice other relationships in your life to a certain degree.
Your marriage is going to take up a lot of your time – and that’s okay. That’s what married life is all about. You and your partner are going to need a lot of alone time – precious time for yourselves wherein you isolate yourselves from others.
5. You and your spouse are still two separate individuals.
Don’t buy into all of that crap about how a marriage is supposed to merge two souls into one. That’s just not true. You and your spouse are still two separate and distinct individuals who are living unique lives. You don’t have to share EVERYTHING in life. You should still be able to maintain your independence.
