How to fire-proof your marriage?

About 60% of men cheat on their wives and and according to a recent all4women survey, almost 40% of women cheat on their husbands (17% once and 22% more than once).

While these statistics are disheartening, that does not mean that your marriage has to become one of them. There are simple steps that you can take to affair-proof your marriage.

It does take two to make a marriage work – and it is work, but if you work together you can do it.

Begin implementing these seven practices in your marriage today:

1. Keep the romance alive in your marriage
In many marriages where affairs occur, the romance has died and that is a contributing factor (after lack of communication). Establish a date night and stick to it. Make romance a priority in your marriage. It is something that BOTH of you should be committed to and don't let it slip away.

2. Friends first
A marriage that begins as friends has a better chance of survival. Friends laugh together, play together, support each other and stand together through good times and bad. Often many marriages begin as friendships, but as the years pass, the married couple forgets the friendship that they once had. The friend aspect of the relationship begins to slip away and the couple grows apart. Start as friend, but, more importantly, keep the friendship growing.

3. Teamwork is what marriage is all about
Your marriage is a partnership, a team. You need to remember the romantic aspect, the friendship aspect, but you also need to hold on to the teamwork aspect of your marriage. When you are working as a team, you are supporting each other, enhancing each other and raising each other up. If you are holding to the team aspect of your marriage, your marriage will be stronger for it.

4.Communicate with your spouse
Lack of communication is the number one reason that many marriages fail. Communication is vital for all aspects of the marriage: romance, friendship and teamwork. Talk to each other, communicating your appreciation, your wants, your needs and your love. Leave nothing to question.

5. Fight fair
There is a right way and a wrong way to argue. Make sure that you are doing it right. Sit next to your partner, holding hands to keep the love there, keep it flowing. As you talk, make sure that each person gets uninterrupted time to express their views of the situation, their needs, what they see as possible solutions.

6. Appreciate what you have
It is easy to say “appreciate what you have.” It is quite another thing to actually do it. The thing is, try to remember the good qualities in your spouse, the things that you can call up in your mind and make you feel in love all over again. Keep in mind that your spouse may show how they love you in different ways, maybe not the ways you expect, but learn to recognize them and appreciate them. Flexibility is a vital key to a strong and lasting marriage.

7. Listen to your partner
Listening is the number one key to communication. If you want to be a good communicator, you must first learn to listen. Listening to your spouse means that you actually hear what they are saying. Then you act on what you learn from listening. Just this simple act will go a long way to making your marriage affair-proof.

Source: All4Women

Saving your marriage movie & book:

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