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The Importance of Encouragement

It was really brought home to me once again recently the absolute importance of encouragement. Yes, I know I sound like a broken record (showing my age there!) but I after experiencing quite the opposite recently, I felt very deflated. No, it wasn’t Mick but a friend. By the time I’d been on the receiving end of a string of negative comments, I ended up wondering why I had bothered. Beth has covered this topic before in regard to toxic friends who undermine and leave you feeling bad about yourself. The thing is, I’m not sure the person even realized … Continue reading →

Good Habits to Develop

In my last marriage blog, I talked about bad habits we should break.  Today we are going to consider some good habits to develop. The first is encouragement.  It seems the longer a couple is married, the less often this happens. In most cases it’s probably a result of just living life and not really thinking about the importance of offering encouragement.  We are busy working, taking care of the family, running a household, and taking on many other responsibilities. But taking time each and everyday to encourage your spouse is a good habit to develop.  It can be something … Continue reading →

Enjoying My Spinning Class

Today began week four of my six week summer spinning class. Spinning if you have not heard of it before is a form of indoor cycling. Similar to a stationary bike, but designed very specifically for intense, cardio rides where you can actually go from a seated position to a standing position (while still spinning). A great feature on spinning bikes is they have a knob that allows you to add resistance. I really enjoy spinning class for a lot of reasons. The main reason is that it is a great cardio workout. We spin for about 50 minutes and … Continue reading →

Find Your Support System

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Before you make a big change in your life it is a good idea to find yourself a support system. Starting a diet, whether it is the Atkins diet or a different one, is going to require you to change the way you are currently eating. It is possible that there will be times when you find yourself struggling. That is why it is important to have people who can help motivate you and encourage you to keep going. One of the first things I learned about the Atkins diet was that it would require me to make a lot … Continue reading →

Inspiring Words from Unlikely Places

Sometimes inspiring words come from the most unlikely places. This morning I was reading a post on the Sydney Swans Football site. For those of you who know me well, you will know I have a passion for my red and white footy team. One of the co-captains made a speech at the presentation of the jerseys that impressed me. A lot of what he said could actually be applied to marriage. When I said to Mick I was going to use it as a blog post for marriage he said. ’ I can see why.’ So here are my … Continue reading →

Backed into a Corner

How do you react when someone tries to back you into a corner? You know what I mean, when someone is pressuring you to do something you’re not sure you want to do or to make a decision you’re not comfortable with or not ready to make. Well, I know how I react and I suspect it’s the same way some of you react. When people try to back me into a corner, it backfires in a big way. I dig my heels in and become more stubborn. I’ve been watching this happening lately, not in our marriage but in … Continue reading →

Perspective Plays a Big Part

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Perspective plays a big part in marriage. Perspective is not something just confined to photography and the creative arts. If we want a happy lasting marriage we need to have the right perspective. In the scheme of life, we need to decide firstly on having a positive perspective. This means looking at your marriage and your spouse in the best light possible. All too often we can be blind to all the loving, kind and thoughtful things our spouse does. But as soon as they make a mistake or do something that annoys or displeases us, we are quick to … Continue reading →

Two Interesting Comments

Do you love your spouse for who he or she is? In a novel I was reading recently by Kristin Hannah, called Between Sisters, the husband tells his wife two things about why he’s leaving her for another woman, that struck me as important: ‘Nothing I do is good enough for you.’ The second is more about the woman he has been seeing ‘She loves who I am, not who I could be if I were more ambitious.’ They’re telling comments and although it’s fiction the comment s have the ring of truth about them. The first one made me … Continue reading →

F Means Fail

F means fail, right? So you certainly don’t want to get an F for your marriage. So here are three Fs to help keep your marriage on the right track. Faithfulness Being faithful to each other is a cornerstone of marriage. You need to know that your spouse is faithful to you when they’re at work or away on a trip. Your spouse needs to know you are faithful to them. But it’s more than just being faithful in the sexual sense, important as that is. It’s also being faithful in the way you talk about them to others. Constant … Continue reading →

What About That Tone?

People can tell a lot from the tone of our voice. It’s not so much the words said as they way they are said that can make a lot of difference, especially when talking to our spouse. Recently Mick and I attended a gathering with a number of other couples and I listened to one woman talking to her man. It sounded like she was a drill sergeant barking orders to a group of soldiers. She was so intent on what she wanted done that I don’t think she was aware of how abrupt it sounded. Neither was she aware … Continue reading →