Introducing “21 Suggestions For Success” Video Series (let’s take this one day at a time)

I married for the first and last time when I was 47 years old. I was determined to not marry the wrong person,and most of the ladies that I was meeting were not the right person. We met in church, and within a week and a half we had a joint checking account and 2ere starting to plan our wedding. Our parents and friends thought we were crazy, but when our pastor gave us a personality test, he said that we were a perfect match. I am married to Brandy with no reserves, I will do whatever it takes to make my marriage work and thrive. I am glad that I waited for the right person, while the wait was difficult ay times it was well worth it.

I agree with this success tip. What I got from this was the underlying importance of commitment, not only in marriage, but in business, and life in general. I strongly believe that when we commit to something 100%, our will becomes strengthened and evolves into something larger than ourselves that will bring unseen help to our aid to manifest our desired outcome(s). It seems like this artisan you met had made a commitment to keep this older art form and craftsmanship alive for future generations, so it wouldn’t be lost. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your insights on this.

Great life lesson story Ann! The excitement of being adventurous/adventursome is a huge part of the daily teamwork in a marriage as your story points out. The same principle applies to families or really to any kind of partnership or relationship whether it’s new or seasoned. Making things fun (as in your spontaneous stop at The Craftsman’s Workshop) keeps the spirit alive and open to learning! I love the Success Lesson this teaches me: Lesson being.. that by honing in on and sharpening my skills of genuine, intentional curiosity, relationships will be enriched and new connections will be easily established and strengthened. The unexpected is all around me all the time, I will continue to exercise that part of my personal mission/journey by actively searching and reaching out for it (sometimes driving back to it!) expecting it to appear.. of course then by thoroughly enjoying the results and the experiences held within….

Hi Ann, I couldn’t agree more with the number one suggestion. We’ve been married for 17 years now. Seems just like a couple of years ago we got married.

Have you and Brian been to Colonial Williamsburg? You might get a kick out of their trades program.

Hi Ann,
Thanks for sharing the #1 Suggestion for Success. Marriage is a great institution, if you want to live in an institution (only kidding)
I guess I’m an exception to the rule, in that I’m happily single and have been for over 20 years. I think that if you love and respect the person that you are then you can be happy and succeed in whatever you choose to do.

My spouse & I have been to Lake Supereior about 20 times with our families. When you first started telling about your journey,my first cousin has a sculpture shop if Tofte & I thought you might be talking about him.He has a degree in sculpting from a university in Minnesota.We camped this summer in Gran mara for some 10 days.You are talking about an area of life I love to talk about. My christian faith means more to me than life itself. I love my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I would love to be able to share Biblical Science with others because it builds your faith so strongly.Noahs Ark & the global flood left sea shells on Mt Everest. In 1980 Mt St Helens erupted & the mountain debris cut out a Grand Canyon look alike establishing a coal bed. This didnt take millions of years to accomplish.Bethlehem & all the intricate details of Christs birth was prophised 700 years prior to the event.I find it extemely fasanating.I look forward to day two, Thank You.

Dear Ann,
I too can check off #1 as I am married to my best friend and sole mate for almost 38 years. That doesn’t mean it’s all been smooth sailing and clear skies. We’ve had our moments and times of stress and conflicts and sadness and anger and everything in-between, but through it all was always this awareness that we were partners and were going to stick it out. So much of it has to do with mindset and instead of looking for the “out” we naturally would look for the solution-knowing that eventually we’d find a way to work things out.

I’d love to hear more of your story of how you and Brian got together. It sounds very intriguing. For me I had made a list of exactly what I wanted in a husband-his character, values, personality etc. so when I met Al it took me about 30 seconds to check them all off and though I was weeks away from being engaged to a high school sweetheart I knew he was the ONE. (It took Al a little longer to figure it out-but with a plan, a bikini and some help from roommates…Well perhaps I should leave it at that

That said thank you for sharing these tips. Looking forward to hearing the rest of them.

So thankful to hear you sought the leading of God in your decisions. When you have that settled peace in your heart, which can only come from Him, you “just know” it is the right thing to do. As you know my late wife and I spent 50 years and 4 months of our lives “committed” to each other. It certainly made it a lot easier to rear 5 children. Our lives were so happy together. I miss her so much. You and Brian continue to cherish each moment. Can’t wait to hear the next “suggestions”. Thank you for sharing a personal part of yourself.

Great first suggestion, Ann! My story is similar to yours except that I had no intention of ever marrying but had prayed that if it were God’s will that He would lead me to the one He had chosen for me. Steve and I became friends during med school. Our shared tendency to “color outside the lines” and “push the envelope” drew us together initially, but it was the Spirit of God that knit our lives together in love. Although it hasn’t been all “moonlight and roses”, it has been good–very good. I so appreciate Steve’s willingness to let me follow my heart and leave the practice of medicine to home-school our four kids. Over the 37 years we have been married we have raised 4 children to responsible adulthood and received the crowning glory of nine grandchildren. . As followers of Jesus Christ we are firmly committed to God and to each other. The vows to love and cherish one another through thick and thin until “death do us part” that we recited before God and 300 witnesses on July 4, 1976 serve as a powerful motivator to “do the hard work” necessary to make it work. Over the years we have grieved over the skyrocketing number of divorces among friends and family members. It is by the grace of God and the power of commitment that we have avoided the pitfalls of unfaithfulness. In many ways a marriage is like a business–the hard work and long hours at first, the need to stick with it when the conventional wisdom screams “time to bail out” and the satisfaction of knowing that when you get your priorities right (God first, each other second and everything else to follow)– and take appropriate action, success is almost sure to follow.

Ann, I fully agree with your first suggestion, but how can one be sure about his choice in advance,it is a gamble for life ,you and I were and are lucky then. Actually I was surprised you put this suggestion first in the list to come, somehow ,before I had read your suggestion, I would relate it to the actions of one person in different circles:family, friends and colleagues. But then thinking once again, one’s actions many time are are encouraged or discouraged by the closest person in life.

The year 2014 will mark our 40th anniversary of marriage. I would not describe my spouse and I as soul mates, and I don’t think he would either because we are so different on so many levels. I would describe us as complimentary – more like we balance each other out. A yin and yang sort of couple – for instance shadow cannot exist without light and a rainbow can’t exist without rain. Just when I start fantasizing about running away, he does says something unexpected which makes me laugh. At this very moment, am watching some of the grandkids at their house, and I call home. He answers “Welcome to the house of horrors, how may I scare you today?” And it has been scary over there…he is trying to paint the living room, the furnace quit, our disabled daughter needs a ride to work, the granddaughter who lives with us had just had a melt-down. Yep, this sort of a day is a daily occurrence at our home and he found a way to make it funny. Thanks for the reminder that marrying the right person makes all the difference in the world over how the events of our lives unfold.

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