6 Ways to a Long Lasting and Happy Marriage

The day is finally here, you are getting married to your best friend. You have heard the advice before; all relationships require hard work, compromises, communication and a lot of love. But you also know that marriage has been a hot topic recently, with nearly 50% of marriages ending in a divorce. Newly engaged or married couples may be scared of what is to come! For couples married over 50 years.... how do they do it? What are they doing to keep their marriage happy? What can you start doing today to make sure your relationship lasts just as long? We researched and polled our social media fans to see the real "secrets" of a successful and long lasting marriage. These were their thoughts. Here are the 6 surefire ways to keep the love in your relationship alive for years to come!

Keep No Secrets

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Communication is the key to a successful relationship! Being able to be open and honest with your spouse will help build trust, establish security, and lessen arguments. Keeping secrets, even items you may consider to be small, can be detrimental to a relationship and cause unnecessary stress and anger. Learn to work with your partner on communication. If you are disagreeing on a topic, does it work better for your relationship to take a 10 minute break before discussing again? How do you and your partner differ on communication? Do you typically say things you don't mean when you are not agreeing? Answering these questions can help set up a foundation for bringing up tough topics with your spouse.

Work Hard in your Marriage

We've touched on the subject that marriages can be hard work! That will not change no matter how many years of marriage you have been in. Consider taking an "I will fight for my relationship" mentality. Refuse to give up on your marriage and refuse to stop loving your spouse. Each day, remind yourself of these things. Tell your partner you love them and show them you love them through working hard in your marriage. This can be simple, such as providing your spouse an extra pair of hands when making dinner. It can also be larger, such as taking your spouse on a nice date after a big argument. All of these items add up and prove that you are willing to work to make the marriage work no matter the situation.

Be Willing to Compromise

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Don't sweat the little things and learn to compromise. Not every issue has to turn into a fight and it's important to learn to pick your battles. Is the argument you are dealing with worth losing your relationship over? Is there an underlying cause? Identify those questions and learn to compromise with your spouse. Pay attention to what arguments are really important and which ones are okay to let go. Agree to disagree when it becomes necessary. This is different in all relationships and it may take time to figure out, but working on compromising and understanding each other’s thoughts and feelings will bring more stability into the marriage.