By Otto Collins
Jack just got home from an evening of darts and a few beers with a group of his friends. Usually nights out with the guys puts him in a great mood.
But not tonight.
He learned that one of his close friends is about to go through a divorce. This friend's wife announced to him that she isn't happy and that she's moving out and ending their marriage.
Jack knew that this friend and his wife had their rocky times, but he had no idea it would come to this.
This has prompted Jack to think about his own marriage. He and his wife seem content, for the most part and most of the time.
He wonders, "Is being content most of the time enough? What could I do to make our marriage better?"
If you are a man who would like to do your part in improving your marriage, know that there are many changes you can make that are relatively easy and simple.
Changes like these will not only make your marriage better, they can help you create a passionate relationship that is far beyond your expectations!
Here's how...
#1: Stop automatically saying "Yes, dear."
One guaranteed way to build up resentment and end up feeling trapped in your marriage is to get into the habit of agreeing to whatever your wife wants. Maybe you think this is just being "nice" or that it will preserve the peace.
It will eventually backfire on you (and your wife) as you silence yourself over and over again. You will forget that she never asked you to agree to everything she says. This was your decision.
#2: Be honest.
This one goes hand-in-hand with stopping saying "Yes, dear" all of the time. Be honest about what you want and what you think.
Believe it or not, when you give your wife the gift of your honesty and openness, greater respect and closeness between the two of you will grow. Even when you disagree, you two can learn the valuable lesson that your love is not dependent on being of the same mind all of the time-- or much of the time.
Your honesty can help you and your wife to really listen and understand one another. From this place, you each can grow-- as individuals and as a couple.
#3: Touch her.
Incorporate into your daily activities more touching. I guarantee that this will help you to move closer together... and it will undoubtedly increase the frequency of your lovemaking too!
When I recommend that you touch your woman more often, I'm NOT suggesting that you grope her or touch her sexually any moment that you can.
Touch her gently on the back. Softly caress her cheek. Hold her hand. Touch her more of the time in non-sexual ways which will communicate to her that you want to be connected and that you are affectionately thinking of her.
And, of course, sexual touches at the right time are also good for your marriage.
#4: Pay attention.
If there's one thing that too many men do is it is that they stop paying attention in their marriages. We're all busy and we all have about a million things demanding our attention at any one time.
But, if you want to improve your marriage, get into the habit of making time to set aside your cell phone, turn off the tv or computer and give your woman your full attention.
This might be to listen to her talk about her day or it could be remembering that she prefers vanilla ice cream to chocolate ice cream.
Encourage yourself to offer your woman at least one thoughtful gesture and at least 5 minutes of your undistracted attention once a day.
