Now that’s a broad subject! And we could discover many great answers and suggestions (more of which we’ll discuss at another time). But today, we’ll stick with these:

• · Be grateful

• · Be gracious

Have You Ever Had A Dog?

Our dog is amazing. I can walk out the door, and walk back in five minutes later, and she goes absolutely nuts. It’s as if she hasn’t seen me in a week. She is just so grateful to see me. And it feels really, really good to be so appreciated. And you know what else? It’s contagious. Yep, I start getting excited just because she’s excited. And it all starts with gratitude.

Instead of focusing on all the things your spouse is not doing, try writing down a few things you are grateful for. This is not just a theoretical exercise… you would truly benefit from writing down things you are sincerely grateful for about your spouse.

Why is this so powerful? Because we can only focus on one thing at a time. If you spend your time focused on what you’re not getting, your marriage will lose excitement. Start spending time thinking about why you are so blessed, and your marriage will start to shine again.

Dismount That High Horse

Don’t you want someone on your side? Don’t you want your spouse to have your back? Then you need to have their back. Because trust me, they want the very same thing. Nothing sucks the life out of a marriage quicker than having somebody reminding us of how we’ve messed up.

Cut your spouse some slack. Seriously, you married a human being. They are going to mess up. So, sometimes you just need to lighten up. Remember, you two are on the same team.

Whenever I am tempted to get a bad attitude – I try to mentally make a list of a few of my own shortcomings as well. This helps me put things in perspective. It helps me to remember that I am not exactly the perfect catch either. It helps me get off my own high horse.

Start being gracious to your spouse, and you’ll ikely get the same treatment in return. And isn’t that what you both want? Isn’t that more exciting than constant nagging?

Warning – Steamy Conclusion Ahead

Think about it. Which sounds more exciting? A couple who is ungrateful for and is constantly nagging each other, or a couple who is gracious to one another, and constantly wagging their tails and jumping up and down on each other?…. (now that’s exciting!)