To many people think “How can a be more successful?”, yet they only focus on their career and they let their personal life fall apart. The truth is, your marriage is the business relationship you should work on first. After that, everything else will begin to fall into place better. Working on your marriage will show you how to develop people skills, it will help you with time and resource management, and it will develop team work. And at the end of the day, it has the best compensation.
It is the Most Forgiving
We are all human, and we will all make mistakes. In the business world those mistakes can cost you money, clients, or even your job. But a marriage should be more forgiving. You and your spouse are in it for the long haul, and forgiving one another is a necessary skill to make that marriage work. The only thing any of us are perfect at is being flawed, but forgiveness is gift that goes a long way. Finding a way to forgive, and allowing yourself to be forgiven in your marriage transfers over to your leadership abilities in your career. You have to learn to move past your own flaws, and you have to learn to see the flaws of others, and work around them so that you can continue to move forward.
It is the most Intimate of People Skills
Every career path requires interpersonal skills. You can not move ahead in life without being able to deal with other people. Learning to deal with your spouse is like a doctorate course in people skills. Your spouse is someone who is always there. They see you at your best, and your worst. They see you when you are motivated, and when you are downtrodden. They see you in work mode, and play mode. They see the real you, and you see the real them. Getting to understand who they are, and figuring out who to work together to achieve your goals is the cornerstone to success. If you can build those people skills with your spouse, you can easily build them with your coworkers, clients, vendors, and other business associates.
It is a Lifelong Commitment
These days, to many people think of a marriage like it is little more then dating. As soon as it starts to get difficult, they leave. But marriage is supposed to be a lifelong commitment. You should try to work through those difficult times with your spouse. If you just give up and leave, then you will likely just give up in your path to success as well. Not giving up is a basis for success. A wise man once said “to succeed, you need just try one more time then you fail”. But accepting failure in anything is a slippery slope that leads to acceptance of failure in everything. Don’t let your marriage fail, and you won’t let your success fail.
It Has The Best Benefits
When all is said and done, marriage really does have the best benefits. It may not be a 401k, or pension, but when all the work is over, you will retire. And when that happens, it is your spouse that will be still be there. That is far better then being alone.
What to Do
Of course, working on your marriage isn’t always the easiest thing in the world. That is why to many marriages end badly. If you want to have a successful marriage, and lead that into a successful life, you need to put in some effort. Join a relationship training group. They can help you in work through issues you have and see new directions you should take. Go on a couples retreat. If you have never been on a retreat, it is something you must try. There is no better way to expand your self then with a good retreat, and a couples retreat will help you both understand and love each other even more then you already do. Take a vacation someplace exotic, and romantic. Having an amazing life experience with your spouse in a new and exotic place will join you in ways you don’t realize.
When you put your relationship at the head of your priorities, the rest of your life comes along for the ride.