How To Make Your Marriage Thrive Without Trying Too Hard

How to Make Your Marriage Thrive Without Trying Too Hard

Does your life seem insane some days? 

It’s pretty normal anymore to have days full of work, kids, after-school activities, eating on the run and watching some T.V.  Throw in some time surfing the web, a hobby or the occasional night out with friends and it may seem like all of your time is spoken for each week.

So, where does your marriage fit into this crazy mix?

Get Your Priorities Straight

First of all, you need to get your mindset right and make sure you consider your marriage a top priority.  That's right.  A good marriage is more important than happy children.  It trumps your career.  And your friends and your own personal hobbies don't even come close.

Without a healthy marriage, these other areas of your life will suffer.  However, if you give your spouse their rightful place at the top of your to-do list, you will serve them well and create the foundation for a happy home life and an awesome marriage.

Take Time Every Day to Just be a Couple

So how exactly do you make your marriage a top priority?  It’s all about time…but not as much as you may think.

The key is to set aside time every day to just be a couple. By spending as little as 15 minutes a day to open up and talk, hold hands or maybe write each other a great love letter from time-to-time, you can make a huge difference in your relationship and rekindle your passion for one another.  And we can all watch a little less T.V. or get up a bit earlier to find this time and show our spouse they are truly number one.

Get Away From It All Sometimes

Obviously, the majority of our married lives are necessarily spent as members of our family inside of our house.  This is great, and it's what most of us enjoy as a typical lifestyle.

However, married couples really do need to get away regularly and just enjoy each other.  This could be as simple as a relaxing date night with a great dinner and a shared bottle of wine every few weeks.  Occasionally, couples should get away overnight or for a weekend.  There's nothing like a night spent in the Jacuzzi suite at a bed and breakfast to really rekindle the passion in a marriage.

To really have a long-term, positive impact on a relationship, it's hard to beat a marriage retreat weekend.  Marriage retreats come in all shapes, sizes and spiritual forms, but they all generally involve helping a couple get away from the busyness of everyday life (and kids) and focus deeply on their relationship and building their dream marriage.  When we reconnect at such a deep and soulful level, the feelings of true, impassioned intimacy become easy to grasp even when life gets busy.

Put It All Together and Your Marriage Can Thrive

We are all busy, and it can be too easy to let our own needs and those of our partner fall out of our focus. 

However, when we set aside just a little time each day to be together without distractions, we really set the stage for a great marriage.  Throw in a date night every few weeks and an occasional night away together and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how fun and exciting your marriage can be…even after a full day of work, soccer practice, homework and bedtime stories!

Dustin Riechmann created Engaged Marriage with the mission of helping others achieve the extraordinary in marriage and in life. Please visit his site for more proactive and practical advice on topics ranging from Sex to Spirituality...and find him on Facebook.