Marriage is such a complicated relationship because when things aren’t going well it’s so easy to blame the other person, especially when it feels like you’ve been trying really hard and your spouse won’t try. That’s incredibly frustrating!
But usually, this is just your perspective. You believe that you’re the only one that cares and the only one that’s willing to try to improve the marriage but it’s very likely that your spouse is trying too and you don’t see it. Perhaps they’d like to say negative things but they bite their tongue, maybe they’ve been close to quitting their job but they stay for you, or perhaps they are struggling with your behavior in some way but they tolerate it and don’t make waves. Giving them the benefit of the doubt in these cases is so critical!
But by far the best thing you can do when you believe that your spouse won’t work on the marriage, is simply to work on yourself. The better you become, the more you enjoy your own life. And in the end, 9 times out of 10, your spouse will see your efforts and make improvements too. You have so much more power than you think you do!
And the best part is you get to live with you for the rest of your life! So anything you learn about relationships, any need you have that you begin to meet, any talent you take time to develop stays with you all your life and you’re a better person for it.
So WORK ON YOU! And its very likely that your marriage will get happier too!