7. Accept the Fact You are Married

The first thing you need to do is accept the fact you are married.  Leave the single days behind you because they are now in the past and irrelevant.  It’s okay to go down memory lane every now and then with your buddies, but don’t let it consume you and your thoughts.  Married life is much different than the single life, but don’t get trapped in the past.

6. Be Happy

The first two to three years of marriage are usually the hardest and most difficult to get through.  You and your spouse should strive to make it past this point and look towards a long future together.  During the course of the marriage, there will be ups and downs and disagreements, but you or your spouse should not let disagreements be the determining factor of your relationship.  Take the time to look around you and be thankful for all of the things you have and the things you do not have.

5. Don’t Compare Your Relationship to Other Relationships

This is a common mistake many couples are guilty of doing.  Once again, the past is in the past, so leave it there.  There is no need for comparison because it obviously did not work out.  If you are trying to go forward in your marriage, the last thing you need to do is compare your current relationship to a past relationship that did not work.  Another thing you don’t want to do is compare your current relationship to the relationship of other people.  They may look happy and cheerful, but you never know what happens and how the couple feels behind closed doors.

4. Make Time for One Another

Regardless of the things you have planned during the day for work or other occasion, you need to make time for your spouse.  When you are not home or never around because you are preoccupied with other things, don’t expect your spouse to wait around for you to make them a priority.  A person who wants to make time will set the time aside instead of making excuses.

3. Don’t Let Outsiders In Your Relationship

Outsiders consist of people who are not involved in your relationship.  They are outsiders looking in.  Outsiders are a common cause of a relationship failing miserably.  Outsiders consist of relatives, friends, and associates.  It is your responsibility to take control of your relationship and make the relationship what you want it to be.  Everyone will have their opinions which they are entitled to, but it’s up to you to make the decisions in your relationship.

2. Be Yourself….All the Time

If you have to pretend to be someone else, this is a clear sign that you are not happy with yourself.  Don’t be the person who is one way with their spouse behind closed doors and another way around their friends and relatives or in public.  If you are not happy with the way you are, make some changes.

1.  Communicate Regularly

Communication is the key to success to a happy and long-lasting marriage.  Don’t sit around and mope around the house with a sad face or a chip on your shoulder.  Discuss the things that are bothering you with your spouse and resolve things before they escalate into a much worse situation.