Happy New Year Hutchinson Island- time for a fresh start. Myself and countless others made resolutions this past month in the hope that we will improve our lives. Some resolutions will continue to support us for a lifetime while others have already been long forgotten or soon will be. Most Americans will concentrate on losing weight, reducing credit card debt, being better organized or winning the lottery. A resolution that is rarely made is one that could guarantee us a much happier 2007 than we had the year before. Here it is: To do whatever it takes to improve our relationship with our spouse. Husbands and wives, if we channel our energy towards strengthening our relationship, our family will befinancially more stable (generally, two parent families are more prosperous than single parents and singles at the same age in the same career), ourchildren will feel more secure (most children from two parent families are less depressed, abuse fewer chemicals, and learn more in school), and we will improve our emotional and physical well-being (both married men and women are healthier than their single counterparts). Begin by making a Marital Action Plan for 2007. In our Marital Action Plan we have an opportunity to make a commitment to:

© spend more time together as a couple (start off by "connecting" 1 more hour a week);

© have regular date nights (schedule at least 1 per month on a 2007 FUN Date Night Calendar);

© make time each day to talk with and really listen to each member of our family (10-15 min. per person); and,

© work on our marital problems instead of ignoring them (learn and apply the Speaker ~ Listener Problem Discussion and Problem Solution Technique (PREP, Inc.) or the S.M.A.R.T. Card (Active Relationships Center) to resolve our marital conflicts.

A good marriage rarely just happens, and a GREAT marriage will take the same amount of thought and effort that we put into other areas in our lives that are important. Try to think of marriage as an expensive sports car or a dream home. Would we ever buy a sports car and then neglect getting regular maintenance or not spend time with it on the open road? Would we let our dream home fall into disrepair by ignoring necessary renovations and refusing to clean and decorate it? Of course not! Like a sports car and a dream home, our marriage also needs regular maintenance and a lifelong commitment for it to thrive. We have to focus attention on it. It requires a conscious desire and a "CAN DO" attitude. If we want to end 2007 with a happier more loving relationship with our wife or husband, we can choose to start now to build a lasting bond between us. We should get help if we want or need the support. Seek out a relationship coach or counselor to keep us focused and on track. We could attend a relationship workshop to learn practical and effective communication skills, or read a self-help book from a variety of relationship authors. Let's resolve today that this year, our marriage will be a blessing to us, our spouse and our children. Children pay a huge price when their family is disconnected. Resolve that our children won't ever suffer through a bitter separation or divorce because we chose not to make our marriage a priority in our lives. Strong marriages are the foundation of strong families, which are vital to developing healthy communities and a caring society. Make 2007 the year that our marriage is the best it's ever been. I'm willing to make and keep this resolution. Are you?

Submitted by,

Greg R. Thiel, MA

www.RelationshipCoach.us