Home
>
Marriage & Wedding
>
Relationship Advice: A Map for Your Marriage

Relationship Advice: A Map for Your Marriage

Have you ever been lost?

My favorite line about being lost comes from an old "M*A*S*H" episode where Hawkeye says, "We're not lost. I've been lost before, and this is not what it looks like."

We all know the drill - you thought you knew where you were going, so you didn't bring a map, and you found yourself so hopelessly turned around that you had no idea where to go next.

Ever feel that way in your relationship?

To Plan or Not to Plan

Consider with me the last vacation you were able to take. Think back to all the planning that was involved, things such as where to go, what to take with you, notifying people you would be gone and even consulting a map on how to get there.

Quite a bit of preparation, conscious thought and planning goes into a successful vacation.

Now, consider this: How much planning and conscious thought has gone into your marriage?

It's truly amazing how some folks will spend more time planning a two-week vacation than they do planning how they would like their marriage relationship to be.

Most of us seem to stumble into relationships and marriage and then continue to kind of make it up as we go along.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to create a map to guide us on our journey through marriage?

Creating a relationship map

Actually, there are several different ways. One of the simplest, and yet most profound, is through modeling.

When you want to do something that you have never done before, you don't have to reinvent the wheel. You simply find someone who has done or is doing what you want to do, discover what they have done or do, and do it as well.

This idea of modeling works so well because success leaves a trail that can be followed.

In terms of marriage, look around your own world for the couples who have the strongest and most enjoyable marriages. That doesn't mean they don't have their share of struggles. It just means they have found a way to manage them in a way that strengthens their marriage.

So how do you find out what their map has been to get them to where they are?

Simple - just ask! While it may seem awkward at first, most folks are honored to be asked and very willing to help.

Here are some questions to ask successful couples about how to build your own relationship map. Start with general questions and then get more specific:

What do you think has made your marriage so successful?

What are the top five things that go into a healthy relationship?

What do you have to believe about your spouse to keep your marriage strong?

How do you handle small conflicts?

How do you handle larger conflicts?

How do you come to agreement about your finances?

How do you come to agreement on how to handle the children?

How do you divide domestic chores?

What do you do on a daily basis to keep the spark alive?

What has been your biggest challenge as a married couple? How did you handle it?

Do you keep the toilet seat up or down?

These are just a sampling of the many questions you can ask successful couples. You can come up with your own or even better questions to help you create your own map.

The most important factor is to simply ask and then put into action what you discover.

Jeff Herring is a Relationship Coach, Speaker, and Syndicated Relationship Columnist. Visit secretsofgreatrelationships.com for more relationship tips and tools, a free internet newsletter and free e-programs to enrich your relationship.

green cleaning service Des Plaines ..

In The News:

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Relationship Advice: A Map for Your Marriage

Marriage & Wedding