Maintaining a Life Long Marriage

There are so many factors that go into creating a successful marriage. Through many studies researchers have identified ways a couple can do to strengthen their relationship. Here is some of the things that they have found to be key in having a strong marriage that lasts for years that were listed in the book Successful Marriages and Families:

1. Personal Commitment- Make the decision to be with this person for the rest of your life.
2. Love and friendship- Show them love even when you're not really feeling it. Love is a verb and requires action in order for it to be there. If you don't do anything to strengthen your friendship with your spouse then nothing will happen. 
3. Positivity- Staying positive can be super hard it's something that I really struggle with sometimes. Even if you can find one positive thing a day about your spouse you'll be okay. 
4. Accept influence from each other- Be willing to accept critic and advice. Compromise on both parts is the key to a healthy marriage. 
5. Respectful of one another- The person you married is only human. They're not perfect but always expect respect from one another. Without respect abuse begins to creep in. 
6. Continual courtship through the years- You both fell in love once why not keep falling in love everyday.

These things will only do good in a marriage they can do no wrong. They definitely require that you not be selfish and that you look outward. It's interesting but these things are something that is personal. You personally need to make the decision to commit to these things to benefit the two of you as a couple.

While the early years of marriage are the most likely for a divorce to occur that doesn't mean that it will be smooth sailing from then on out. Even my grandparents, who have been married for forty plus years, have struggles in their marriage. Some of the things that older couples face are empty nesting, retirement, physical decline, care giving, and loss of loved one. As you can see these are different challenges than those of a newly wed couple. One of the greatest pieces of advice is to forget about yourself and worry about someone else. Many older couples who are LDS are encouraged to serve a mission together. This gives the opportunity for the couple to just be together and have the opportunity to serve others. Both sets of my grandparents served missions and they said that it was the best experience of their life because they felt like they again doing something with their lives. Take time to enjoy one another and strengthen your marriage even more. We can always be progressing.