Growing up, our minds and emotions were swayed to the tale of happily ever after. Little girls pictured their prince charming returning their glass slippers, while young lads imagined waltzing in to scoop their fragile Cinderella off her feet. These were surreal tales that created surreal imaginations, and like dogmatic zombies, every kid swallowed every word as truth.
As a result of this deception, they spend most of their youth searching and waiting on a happy ending (or beginning), as their hearts break into a million pieces when they realize the expectation is a far cry from reality.
It is almost certain even Cinderella discovered a different side to romance. Once they were off and living in a beautiful castle, reality probably set in. Cinderella had to face her prince’s temper and impatience, while the prince had to deal with Cinderella’s incessant spending and expensive shopping. it wasn’t a happily ever after, after all.
Marriage is no fairy tale, and happily ever after has to be continuously worked at.
Sex
Most people are ill-educated on sexual matters. They form their ideologies about sex from the misinformation supplied to them by friends and the media, which is likely to cause problems in their marriages. To ensure a healthy sexual relationship, couples need to have an open and honest conversation with each other because sexual misunderstandings ruin marriages.
Soul Mates
Soul mates are made, not born. To have and maintain a healthy relationship, you and your spouse have to consciously work at it. No one is perfect; we all have our faults and shortcomings, so maintaining a healthy relationship is more about commitment and less about perfection. An untold fact is, there’s more than one person you can end up being married to, so the responsibility falls on you to make your partner your soul mate.
Understanding Each Other
Marriage is not a bed of roses. Not long after you tie the knot, you’ll find yourself wondering if you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life, why it seems as though your partner has changed, or where all the love went. You aren’t alone. Everyone struggles, but you have to persevere. Marriages improve with time and if you’re patient enough, you’ll reap its rewarding fruit.
Someone You Relate To
Marriage is described as two becoming one, so when you and your partner have differing goals, how can you blend or merge perfectly? It is advisable to marry someone with similar goals, passions and dreams. This, however, doesn’t mean couples have to crave the same things in life, instead, it means they should share similar ideologies, morals and principles. Much can be achieved this way.
It’s About Two, Not You
The idea of “me, myself, and I” should end at the doorstep of marriage, because the culture of individualism can cripple a relationship. Marriage is an unwritten contract to stay committed to a life of sharing and caring for one another. A distinct feature of a successful marriage is the ability of each partner to look out for the welfare of the other, as opposed to selfishly focusing on themselves.