Recipe For a Happy Marriage: 7 Things To Remember

Picture this.

You walk into the kitchen. Open the third drawer down. And right there in front of you is the recipe for a happy marriage.

Smooshed between a soup recipe and the instruction manual for that annoying toy your kid loves.

Marriage will be a breeze as long as you have this recipe in your back pocket.

Then the daydream ends and it is back to reality.

We all know there is not an exact recipe out there to follow in order to create and maintain a happy and healthy marriage.

Marital bliss is not a given. Maybe it was for Cinderella. But us mere mortals don’t get it so easy. We don’t get happiness handed to us on a pretty little platter.

Choosing to spend your life with someone can truly feel like an easy choice. The challenges come later. Like after a movie when the credits roll.

Those characters get to ride off into the sunset and we don’t see their happily ever after. We just assume that it is perfect and magical.

While there is no exact marriage recipe out there for any of us to follow, there are key components that can give your marriage the best chance possible at being all the things you want it to be.

Now, just like any recipe out there, you can (and should) tweak it to make it your own.

Find what works for your marriage.

One more thing. I think we can all agree that LOVE is a pretty significant part of a relationship. You don’t need anyone to explain that to you.

But love is not the only thing a marriage needs to grow and thrive. That is where these other key players come in.

Here Are 7 Ideas All About a Recipe For a Happy Marriage

1) Kindness

In the early stages of most relationships, kindness is very present.

The way people talk to each other. The way they react to each other (in good or bad situations).

But over time, this is one of those things that can fade into the background. Life is going on and kindness might not always be at the forefront of our minds.

A sprinkle of kindness here and there can really add up. And it truly impacts the overall vibe of a marriage.

Kindness is really about thinking about your partner and their feelings on a continuous basis.

Don’t underestimate things that might be viewed as small. A smile or a compliment or a rub of the shoulder as you walk by them. Bringing them home their favorite coffee or sweet treat.

When it comes down to it, we all want to be treated kindly. Especially by our spouse. And we also all know what it feels like to not be treated kindly.

2) Growth

As a couple, you will inevitably grow together.

But you also need to focus on personal growth. Focusing on yourself will only benefit your marriage.

You are one part of the relationship, but you are also your own person completely separate from that.

I think sometimes it can start to feel like you and your partner are fused together. And then we think about growth, but we only think about our relationship growing.

Bringing your best self to your relationship is a gift. And it really has the power to be a game-changer for your marriage.

3) Conversation

This could also be referred to as communication.

But the idea of conversation can sound less intimidating.

Communication can often seem daunting. And to be completely honest, it really can be a lot.

One thing we can do is to keep talking to each other. About the big stuff and the tiny stuff and everything in between.

Your partner is your friend. I think sometimes life gets busy and we forget that. Of course, we want to talk to them. (and about more than the kids or dinner ideas)

We want to maintain open lines of communication for the long haul.

(here are some more specific ways to work on communication)

4) Responsibility

You and your partner both need to be accountable for your actions and your behaviors.

It is exhausting to be around someone that makes excuses for every mishap that they encounter or every choice they make.

Mistakes are an integral part of being a human. They are going to happen.

And being able to recognize and acknowledge those mistakes is not always a simple task. It will take practice.

Being able to go through issues without playing the blame game or keeping score is so vital.

This also makes way for true apologies. Which we all know are very powerful.

Responsibility doesn’t sound romantic but it definitely has a place in every marriage.

5) Perseverance

Every relationship will face challenges. Every marriage will go through struggles.

You have to be willing to really push yourselves and work through rocky times.

It can be really tempting to brush things under the rug. And this might smooth things over for a while.

But that is not benefiting your marriage. Issues will bubble up to the surface again!

Digging in and navigating through tough situations will be hard but your marriage will be so much better off because of it.

6) Honesty

Honesty is crucial to the overall success of a marriage.

Without this key component, a marriage can and most likely will crumble over time.

Honesty goes hand in hand with trust. And that really sets the foundation for creating the kind of marriage you want and deserve.

7) Forgiveness

This is all about moving forward.

Letting go is hard. Holding on is easy.

But when we leave issues unresolved or leave feelings unspoken, our marriage will suffer in the long run.

And I think we can all use the reminder that forgiveness is something we do for ourselves. Yes, we are forgiving someone else but we reap the rewards of that forgiveness.

Marriage is made up of so many things.

And at different times in your marriage, more or less of certain things will be needed.

The best thing we can all do is to view and treat our marriage as an investment.

And of course, we take care of our investments.

What would you add to this recipe for a happy marriage?

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