What It Means To Be Marriage Minded

Marriage is not easy. But anything worthwhile is never easy.

Couples who have been married for any length of time will agree that challenges in marriage deepen commitment and strengthen bonds...but in the heat of the moment, they also threaten to drive a permanent wedge between them, if not tear them apart.

The challenges that we face in life, and our success in overcoming them, have more to do with mentality and strategy than ability. The same holds true for marriage. Those who are marriage minded tend to not only overcome marital challenges in the short term, but leverage them for long term prosperity.

But what does it mean to be marriage minded? It means that you define yourself as a married person and operate as part of a marriage partnership; one in which you are committed to doing your part in order for it to succeed.

The marriage minded view the needs of the marriage as more important than the needs of the individuals. It's like a company: when the company flourishes, the employees benefit in myriad ways, enabling them to take care of their personal needs. Marriages that function optimally, do so under this premise because marriage minded couples instinctively ask, 'What is best for my marriage?' when engaging in daily behaviors, or making decisions.

Strife in a marriage usually revolves around disagreements about what is best for the marriage. Selflessness and honoring the (marriage) commitment can help couples get back on balance.

When a couple is comprised of only one marriage minded partner it will eventually fail. Yes, there are times when our marriage mindedness weakens due to our own personal challenges, changes, or the inevitable existential crisis that we all encounter, but those times are temporary; marriage is permanent. Those who are truly marriage minded will grow through the challenges and reap the benefits and rewards if they are able to hang in there long enough to see them.

What can America's authority on marriage research, who can predict whether a couple will divorce with a 90% accuracy rate, tell you about succeeding or failing in marriage? A lot. Watch below.