Thriving Twogether

Arguing, hurtful teasing, and ineffective traditions are like waiting in needless lines. Learn new concepts and ideas to help your family accelerate and excel. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Melissa accepted me from day one. At 129 pounds. With braces. And just a fewest years removed from a MacGyver worthy mullet. And she expected I'd get better with time and effort. Love is a combination of acceptance and expectations, boundaries and grace. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

How would your Marriage do if you had to compete for $50,000? If you had no internet? No smartphone? Needed to navigate with maps? Traveled to unknown cities/towns? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Hundreds of things are needed for enjoyment in marriage. But things what matter most? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

A marriage matures and endures as one or both spouses become susceptible to growth. Impervious individuals resist responsibility. Susceptible spouses bounce ideas off of one another, solicit feedback and continually take accountability. Impervious marrieds resist change like steel against flint. A couple saved two thousand dollars in home remodeling by bouncing ideas off of each other. They were open to new ideas and concepts, thinking a great idea would come by being susceptible to other's ideas. Are you becoming susceptible (porous) or impervious? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Recently on a trip I found myself in a Barnes and Noble. And I picked up a book called The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant. Several parts of the book were intriguing, but one part in particular I needed to re-read a couple times. Kobe Bryant, five time NBA champion, mentioned that his legs were very weak in his first season in the NBA. At one point he air-balled multiple shots against the Utah Jazz in the Playoffs. So he decided to take up tap dancing to strengthen his legs and improve his timing. The result? He had one of the most successful and long careers in NBA history. What are your weak legs? What are your air balls? What I like about Kobe in this situation as he saw his weakness and then he learned how to improve it and then he took action. It takes a humble person to see their weaknesses and then go to work to make them strengths. And where did Kobe find the time? What about the embarrassment? Couldn’t he have just chosen an easier, less effective approach? The best put in the work. Are you r

What is empathy? I’ve been studying that a lot lately. It’s the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy is a byproduct of those who love selflessly. When you love profoundly, then you will yearn and learn to know how to help them. I used to think that empathy was basically like a shock absorber. You know, when people are struggling and having some challenges you simply listen and make sure there’s not so much pressure. You lessen the bumps and the challenges and difficulties so a person doesn’t have to absorb all the challenges alone. But I’ve discovered is more than occasionally helping a loved one. Empathy means we’re so concerned about others thoughts feelings and emotions that we take a vested interest in their lives. Empathy means we’re thinking of others often not just occasionally nor just superficially. I found that it’s all too easy in my life to live an emphatic life instead of an empathetic life. I used to live life with exclamation points instead of question marks. I w

Does everything have to be perfect? Are you a control freak? Let me share my story of controlling less and controlling more. How does control factor into marriage? Parenting? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

My wife taught me the importance of learning from others and learning from history so as to learn what I don’t know that others know and improving on weaknesses that others nor myself know about. The Johari Window and Anne of Green Gables offer insights into happier marriages. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Love is like a water well. Focus intently and go deep. Let no diversions or distractions detract from your one love. And remember love is more than duty. It involves cherishing, sacrificing, and eliminating. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Pittsburgh’s Childrens Museum helped me understand Mister Rogers. Fred Rogers taught love, helping during crises and using blessings to raise others up. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Sacrifice is the key to increased love, healed marriages and transformational relationships. What should you give up? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

How do you view your spouse? Yourself? Is it possible to change how you see your spouse? Have a more unified, equal partnership by becoming like four women described in this episode. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Details on the newly enhanced ThrivingTwogether.com. From podcasts to a YouTube channel, and blogs to social media. Enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

It’s time to have more resiliency, to embrace difficult situations and losses as lessons learned. Perfection isn’t needed in marriage or any relationship. Let’s get real, vulnerable. I’d like to share some of my worst losses to help you know what winners know: losing is needful! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

During a visit to a small town I observed several people riding tandem bikes up and down mountains and throughout the town. I don't see that very often where I live so that caused me to think a little bit. Riding a tandem bike is the ultimate metaphor for being interdependent. Two people come together to unitedly move forward. A couple must work together (interdependently) on a tandem bike. Working against each other (independently) causes stagnation. Interdependence not independence is vital for happiness and progression. Work with each other. Understand each other. Move forward together. Learn to work together. Learn to seek your spouses interest and their well-being. Hold them in high regard. Two together make a tandem bike progress. And a marriage. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

A couple are trying to avoid divorce, but they have no compelling vision. They are burdened down "managing" a family. And they take no time to create a compelling future. Expanding perspective by 5% causes effectiveness to double. Looking through your spouse's eyes (seeking to understand before being understood*) is a great way to expand perspective. Expanding our vision causes us to overcome the inertia of proximity to our problems. Oftentimes the closeness of our problems causes us to feel overwhelmed and dejected. Looking at our problems with a Seuratesque perspective causes hope to soar. Standing back a little to view art is a lot like life. We see the big beautiful picture by simply expanding our vision. Similarly, looking too closely at a piece of art causes catatonic confusion. Don't get overwhelmed by clinging too tightly to the present. Find hope in creating a combined, compelling 220px-Contacteye future. What is your ideal image for your family? Your finances? How could you expand your mu

We all deal with giant problems in our relationships. This episode provides insights into solving those problems. Small and simple is what Dr Seuss taught as did Ockham. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Character drives tenacious people to cling to covenants over convenience. Grit is often the separator between divorce and ecstasy. In this episode I share a personal example of the grittiest person I know, my wife. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support

Nourishing, not quick fixes nor exchanges, is what’s needed for most relationships to heal and thrive. Love, respect, and time are some of the ways we can grow better relationships. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thriving-twogether/support