“If We Have a Disagreement, We Argue Each Other’s Side of it as Well as Our Own.”

“We decided long ago to become each other’s staunchest allies . . . If we have a disagreement, we argue each other’s side of it as well as our own. The first thought we have every morning is how to make the day wonderful for the other one. Works like a charm.”
– Unknown

If you all followed this advice, I wouldn’t have a job! Yet most people don’t learn these tools growing up, and so you rub against each other’s rough spots like stones in a tumbler. Eventually you get polished. Sometimes, people run out of hope and rope in the process, and the relationship doesn’t last.

The great news is that you can learn now. The neural pathways in your brain are malleable until you die.

You have to choose to change your behavior. Your partner has to choose to change his/her behavior. You can’t change your partner’s behavior. Remember, just as with kids, to say, “I don’t care for this behavior.” Not, “You’re bad” but “This behavior isn’t acceptable.” So use this format: “When _________, happens, I feel _________, _________, and _________. I need/wish _________.

How would your relationship be different if you had secure attachment (which the quote is a definition of)? How would it be different if you knew you were each other’s champions, that you got really good at arguing both of your sides in a disagreement? If your daily way was to make life wonderful for one another?

I think if we all do this, not only will you have a better marriage, the world will be a much healthier place for everyone.