Are You ‘Selfish’ in Your Marriage?

The more you push against each other, the more exhausted you will get.

The Good Men Project
Hello, Love

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Photo credit: iStock

By Lesli Doares

Marriage is our last, best chance to grow up.

Joseph Barth

A fellow marriage blogger recently wrote that almost all relationships problems are due to selfishness. I would alter that to say that they are caused by self-centeredness.

Yes, the difference matters.

Selfishness implies you know that what you’re doing is problematic and you don’t care.

Self-centeredness is when you are trying to make yourself comfortable and aren’t aware of how you’re impacting others — including your spouse.

We are all self-centered, but not necessarily selfish. How you respond to your partner’s perspective of your behavior is what determines which one it is.

You each are trying to get your own way because that’s what makes you comfortable. Marriage is designed to shake things up.

Building a life with someone who has had different experiences and has different ways of doing things will be uncomfortable at times.

Most of the challenge comes when you try to bulldoze over these differences. Embracing them will make things…

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