Michelle Michal's Page

#1 Decision To Make In Life

Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest men in the world said, "The most important decision you'll even make in life is who you choose to marry."

He could have said that the most important decision in life is which stock to invest in or which college you should attend or which business plan or model you should follow to ensure financial security.   But he didn’t.  Why?  Because marriage will either enrich your life or it will destroy it. 

Among my circles of friends, there are two basic criteria that I have seen them follow.  For the religious, finding someone that shares the same faith is the basic requirement.  For all others, mutual attraction is sufficient.  Unfortunately, most of my friends are miserable in their marriages because they didn’t stop to consider a few other factors that will make or break a relationship.

I have a friend who married her hustband because, “He’s a good, Christian man.”  She thought that the rest of their differences would work themselves out because they were of the “same spiritual mind”, so to speak.

Needless to say, finding someone that shares the same faith as you is simply not enough.  They had nothing else in common.  His family background was quite different from hers.  He did not have the same work ethic and was constantly between jobs while she was maniacally career driven.  She had trouble dealing with his family and was wondering if she would like them to be around her children if she ever decided to have any.  She cared about the way she looked, while he was a bit of a slob and didn’t care whether he let himself go.

I haven’t asked her, but I wonder if she still thinks that sharing the same beliefs is enough to cement their marriage and sustain it for the rest of their lives.

I have another friend whose marriage was great until responsibility, aka, stress and pressure moved in and drove her husband to hide away at work and become an absentee husband and father.

I have tried not to become cynical, but I wonder if any of you are like me and can’t find one example of a great marriage among your friends.  Two people who are comfortable and happy around each other, who seem to have a healthy sex life and are optimistic about their future together. 

Kinda makes you not want to get married, doesn’t it?  Why take the risk? 

I have found that the most important things to consider are

·      family background

·      common interests

·      beliefs

·      how a person behaves under stress

These things will determine your overall success in your marriage and ultimately your success in life.  Thanks Warren!