Listening to Dave Ramsey’s radio show, you notice his advice to a single person is slightly different than to married couples. As a single person, you can make a decision on your own and don’t have to get the opinion of others. I agree with this; especially since I do not need as much information to make a decision is Andrea does.
Since I like being married to Andrea, I have had to grow as a person to allow us to work together as a team. Though, I still have a lot to learn (ask Andrea) I have made a short list of things I have learned so far.
- I have to think of us as a team to better make decisions.
- I have to understand that Andrea’s thinks differently than I do (She has taken the DISC which helps me understand)
- To work together as a team I need to communicate well. Even though we are a team we still have our individual thoughts and opinions.
- If I want to do something major (like start a business or make a large purchase) I have to give her time to warm up to the idea. I need to remember that I have spent a lot of time considering it before she even knew about it.
- I need to get her to help me make decisions so that she has ownership in them.
- We cannot do anything without trust
Interestingly, I hear from so many spouses who want to make a significant change (i.e start a business, change careers, etc.), but their significant other will not allow them to. In many cases, this can be solve with patience, communication, and trust. That is why I wrote a workbook, outlining the process I use (integrating the above mentioned skills) to get Andrea to allow me to start a business. The same skills I use to get Andrea to allow me to start a business are the same skills I use to get her to allow me to do other things, so the skills are transferable.
Anyone can get married but it takes growth and learning to stay married. How have you grown through being married?