If you are planning to tie the knot or you are already married, you must take certain steps in order to make sure that you will have a long-lasting marriage.
You have to be on the same page in regard to handling your finances. One way my parents did it was to work out a budget to stick to every day. Another way they did it was to open a joint bank account and have their own separate accounts that could be used to spend their disposable money as they wished.
The existence of dedication is a must. It is imperative to focus on commitment and be there for each other a lot. If you must resort to only going out of the house to do your hobbies without your spouse two or three times a week, you should do so in order to make sure that you spend an adequate amount of time with him/her on a daily basis. My parents pleased each other by spending enough time together in addition to sometimes doing personal shopping and other things alone.
Your partnership is doomed to fail if one of you does not do enough work around the house. My parents split up the chores. By sharing the workload and not expecting the other to do too many of the chores all of the time, they prevented building up resentment.
Each of you needs to maintain your initiative. If you lose your job, you should try to get another one, especially if you do not have to stay home to take care of young kids. With the exception of this situation, neither of you should rely on the other to provide all of the income. Laziness is not an attractive trait. Both of my parents worked full time.
You must work out your differences the right way. My parents argued their points tactfully when they disagreed on something. No matter how tense things became, they did not resort to name calling, threats, violence or telling the other to shut up.
You need to have a lot in common. There should be activities you like to do together. If you do not share any interests, your relationship is not likely to last; therefore, you should not marry someone whose interests are vastly different from yours. My parents held similar interests which included eating out, going to the movies and having the same religion. You should also come to an agreement on whether to have kids or pets before becoming engaged.
It is also essential to be considerate and open to compromise. Even if you do not like your in-laws, you must be kind to them. Do not do things you know will annoy your mate. My parents took turns watching the television shows they wanted to see, etc.
You have learned the keys to a happy marriage. Doing what you have learned should prevent you from having serious problems.