The 5 Things Women Want From Their Man

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December 8, 2015

You might be surprised at how familiar these 5 things are.

Most men see women as being completely different from them and therefore almost impossible to understand - much less please.

It's this great divide in understanding that keeps many men from having the relationship they really want with their woman (and their woman really wants with them) - a great one!

In an effort to help relationships everywhere, I'm going to let you in on the biggest secret we women seem to have. I'm going to tell you exactly what we want from a man. (Well, at least what most of us want.)

1. A man she can be proud of and respects
   
   You being comfortable and confident in your own skin and in any situation is important to her. She will be showing you off to her family and friends and you definitely want that to go well. (Note: confident and cocky are two very different things.)
   
   You must have ambition. Not necessarily ambition to rule the world, but ambition to do something important because that shows commitment, discipline, a strong work ethic, and an ability to dream.
   
   She will always be proud of a man who is well-groomed. That doesn't mean…
   

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6 Reasons Happy Couples DO Go To Bed Angry (On Purpose!)

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September 28, 2015

Fighting late into the night is just disaster waiting to happen.

Sometimes what we take as common sense is really just a bunch of pie-in-the-sky crap! I call it crap because it's too idealistic or just ignorant of how people's minds and bodies really work.

For example, take the whole idea that a couple should never go to bed angry.

Now, I'll be honest with you, I used to believe that this was a great rule to live by. But that was back when I was in a relationship that lacked passion - including the passion to argue.

These days I'm in a much more vibrant relationship and know without a doubt that if we didn't go to bed angry we'd still be arguing about some stupid thing that happened three years ago. (Yeah, we're both stubborn enough that we just might be.)

Going to bed angry is actually great for our relationship because things usually look completely different in the morning.

When the alternative is a sleepless or nearly sleepless night going to bed angry is best for most relationships. The reason is that sleepiness from staying up to argue can actually make things a whole lot worse.

How does sleepiness make arguments…

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6 Tough Questions You Must Ask BEFORE Leaving Your Marriage

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October 30, 2015

There's no EASY way to know when to leave, but there is an easier way.

At one time or another, almost every married person I know (including my husband and me) has questioned whether or not to call it quits.

It's an incredibly painful question to ask yourself because the only way to answer it is to dig down deep, way past the superficial hurts.

And for most of us, there's no black and white answer about whether you're ready to leave your marriage or not.

There are just too many things to weigh and consider as you figure out what's best for you (and your kids).

At its heart, your question is really about values, respect and what you fundamentally want for your life. (No one besides you will know how to answer this question for you.)

However, sometimes by looking at your marriage from different angles, you can gain clarity.

Here are six key questions to consider as you determine the larger question of whether you're ready to end your marriage, work to make it better, or just accept it as it is:

1. How is your sex life?

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Sex is an important part of marriage. At its best, sex is a baring…

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Unhappy Marriage? Here's How to Make It Better (Part 2)

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September 4, 2015

After you know what you want, it's time to start laying the foundation to make your unhappy marriage happy.

As I mentioned in Part 1, if you're in an unhappy marriage you're probably feeling trapped and hopeless.

But you can create some hope that things will get better. All you need to do is create your idea of what "happily ever after" means to you now and everyday find one thing that's good about your marriage.

(If you haven't read Part 1 yet, you can read it here.)

Now that you know what you want from your marriage, you can start laying the foundation for your new "happily ever after". Begin by asking yourself what would you have to do to get it if you really want to change your unhappy marriage to a happy one.

My guess is you'll discover these 5 areas (connection, caring, congruence, competence, and freedom) are the most critical for you to take action in.

1. Connection - Of all our relationships, our intimate relationship has the most impact on our happiness. We all have a deep-seated need for connection. It's one of the things that makes us human. According to Brendon Burchard in The Charge, "Our desire to bond and belong outweighs…
   

Read more: Unhappy Marriage? Here's How to Make It Better (Part 2)