In his book, Mars and Venus, relationship expert and New York Times Bestselling author, John Gray, described two most important skills to keep the fire of a relationship burning.
So what are those?
Love? Sex? Riches? A big house? Flashy cars?
Ok! No more suspense…
According to the author, the ability to apologize and the ability to forgive are the two most important skills of staying married. Dr. Gray claims that those skills when practiced before marriage helps couples weather the storms much better during marriage. He refers to the two skills as the two wings of a bird as they both depend on each other. One partner has to be willing apologize while the other should be willing to forgive. This works out very nicely if one of the partner is by nature forgiving while the other willfully can apologize.
“The more a man apologizes and is forgiven, the more considerate he becomes.” ~~ John Gray, Mars and Venus
Who should apologize and who should forgive?
Ideally, both partners are to cultivate the habits of apologizing and forgiving, Dr. Gray suggests that to gain the most success with this approach, the man should take charge of apologizing for his errors first and the woman be responsible for forgiving his mistakes.
“By practicing forgiveness, a woman discovers her power to bring out the best in a man and herself.” ~~ John Gray, Mars and Venus
Each time a man is forgiven by his partner he, in turn, becomes more forgiving and willing to learn from his flaws. And a woman is more trusting and accepting when she can forgive a man’s apologies.
Dr. Gray concluded that “the ability to forgive is the most important skill for a woman to have… In a similar way, the ability to apologize is the most important power a man can utilize.”
For more on this, check out the “Mars And Venus” book.
The lesson from the book has been invaluable. I hope it comes in handy for some couple who out there who needs this.
To your lasting relationship!
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