Have you found the One""? The decision to get engaged is one of the most exciting and important decisions you will ever make. Before Saying ""I Do"": The Essential Guide to a Successful Marriage offers the insights and techniques necessary for a successful engagement and marriage. Psychotherapist Michael Batshaw gives you the tools to decide whether your partner is the right one for you, and if so, how to keep it that way. Some of his advice: Beware the person of your dreams. Couples who do everything together do not have a relationship that can survive. Couples who do not argue are in trouble. Hollywood gets it wrong. The truth of the moment is not the whole truth.""

Marriage and becoming a father are two of the most important Rites of Passage in a man's life. Unfortunately, our society no longer recognizes them as such, nor do the elder men prepare, counsel, and train the younger men to succeed in these endeavors. As a result, good men and women enter marriage with false expectations and misconceptions about how to create a successful marriage and a meaningful life. There is hope! If you are struggling & losing faith in your marriage, don't quit. You can learn and master the principles to be successful, end the conflict, save your marriage, and restore your family. If you are not married, you can prepare yourself to enjoy the best that a lifelong marriage can bring. You can lead your family to thrive providing your children a secure and loving home. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your ability to lead yourself and then your ability to lead your family based on your actions. The direction of your leadership comes from the foundation of your life, your purpose. Your purpose will determine the qualities of character that you must develop. You must consciously choose and master the attitude necessary to sustain the self-discipline to navigate the storms of life so that you can serve your purpose. If you remain focused on these four attributes of your life and firmly rooted in your values, you will create an amazing legacy for yourself, your wife, your children, and your community. Truly, practical guidance for real success!

Just as Masters and Johnson were pioneers in the study of human sexuality, so Dr. John Gottman has revolutionized the study of marriage. As a professor of psychology at the University of Washington and the founder and director of the Seattle Marital and Family Institute, he has studied the habits of married couples in unprecedented detail over the course of many years. His findings, and his heavily attended workshops, have already turned around thousands of faltering marriages. This book is the culmination of his life's work: the seven principles that guide couples on the path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward in their approach, yet profound in their effect, these principles teach partners new and startling strategies for making their marriage work. Gottman helps couples focus on each other, on paying attention to the small day-to-day moments that, strung together, make up the heart and soul of any relationship. Being thoughtful about ordinary matters provides spouses with a solid foundation for resolving conflict when it does occur and finding strategies for living with those issues that cannot be resolved. Packed with questionnaires and exercises whose effectiveness has been proven in Dr. Gottman's workshops, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the result of Dr. John Gottman's many years of closely observing thousands of marriages. This kind of longitudinal research has never been done before. Based on his findings, he has culled seven principles essential to the success of any marriage. Maintain a love map. Foster fondness and admiration. Turn toward instead of away. Accept influence. Solve solvable conflicts. Cope with conflicts you can't resolve. Create shared meaning. Dr. Gottman's unique questionnaires and exercises will guide couples on the road to revitalizing their marriage, or making a strong one even better.

Discover the secrets to successful open relationships. A Happy Life in an Open Relationship is a handbook to healthy nonmonogamous relationships. For anyone curious about open relationships, here is a valuable handbook from an expert in love, sex, and communication. Relationship therapist Susan Wenzel—who is in an open marriage herself—delivers skillful advice on how to navigate the complex emotional landscape of multi-partner relationships, from polyamory to swinging. • Filled with of compelling personal stories, anecdotes from clients, and practical exercises • A guide to cultivating harmonious and fulfilling open relationships • Author Susan Wenzel is a sex and relationship therapist with years of experience counseling patients on issues related to monogamy, intimacy, and trust. A Happy Life in an Open Relationship will help you develop your trust and communication skills, explore sexuality and desire, build your confidence and self-worth, set healthy boundaries, overcome jealousy, and so much more. People interested in making changes in their relationships will appreciate the positive tone, helpful advice, and expert wisdom from an accomplished relationship therapist who has gone through the experience herself. • A great book for anyone interested in testing the boundaries of monogamy and exploring the world of polyamory • An accessible and inviting guide for couples to build an open relationship that is strong and lasting • Perfect for fans of Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence and The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel, The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family by Dan Savage, and Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships by Christopher Ryan

If you're going to say "I do,” you want to mean it . . . for a lifetime. Today, many couples struggle with keeping their marriages alive—maybe because they look at marriage as a job instead of an emotional partnership. In this insightful and practical guide, the authors share concrete insights and ideas that can help carry a couple along life's long romantic journey together. • Down-to-earth accessible advice filled with real-life anecdotes. • Addresses each stage of a lifelong relationship.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Over a million copies sold! “An eminently practical guide to an emotionally intelligent—and long-lasting—marriage.”—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work has revolutionized the way we understand, repair, and strengthen marriages. John Gottman’s unprecedented study of couples over a period of years has allowed him to observe the habits that can make—and break—a marriage. Here is the culmination of that work: the seven principles that guide couples on a path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward yet profound, these principles teach partners new approaches for resolving conflicts, creating new common ground, and achieving greater levels of intimacy. Gottman offers strategies and resources to help couples collaborate more effectively to resolve any problem, whether dealing with issues related to sex, money, religion, work, family, or anything else. Packed with new exercises and the latest research out of the esteemed Gottman Institute, this revised edition of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential.

Book for engaged couples to help them collectively plan for marriage. Christian themed with Biblical values. Questions at end of each chapter for couple to work through together to ensure alignment and to provide a basis for a lasting, healthy and happy marriage.