There’s actually a lot of work that goes into living “happily ever after,” .Successful married couples are savvy. They read books, attend seminars, browse Web articles and observe other successful couples. However, successful couples will tell you that they also learn by experience — trial and error. Here are principles of success that will help you create and maintain a successful marriage.

Don’t expect your partner to complete you.

Reality check: Jerry Maguire is a movie character. When he announced “You complete me,” it sure was romantic—but it doesn’t fly in the real world. If you rely on your spouse to fulfill you, it can lead to an over-dependent relationship where you are not growing as individuals. Instead, couples in healthy relationships should “complement,” not “complete” one-another. We should be secure, mature, and whole in ourselves while being open to the other person. So make sure you nurture your own interests and desires, take a class you’re interested in, make plans with friends, instead of waiting for your spouse to fill in the void.





Accept Each Others’ Differences

No one is perfect, and sometimes the traits that couples first found endearing are the same traits that are driving them crazy today. The key is recognizing that those fundamental differences are a part of who our partner is and accepting them for who they are, warts and all. For those instances when their character traits do cause conflict, they become the catalyst for positive, forward-looking conversations.





The only way we can truly change is when we feel that our partner accepts us for who we are. For example, husband and wife have a fundamental difference about time. Wife love that husband is so laid-back about most things, but that includes being on time. Wife need to be early to feel like she is on time. There are times when husband works hard to make it out of the door on time to ease wife's anxiety, and then there are times when she need to soothe herself that he is really doing his best to work on it and it just doesn’t always happen.