"HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO QUIT?"

One of the questions I'm most frequently asked is, "How do you know when it's time to quit?" In terms of when to give up on your marriage, here's what I recommend.

If divorcing is a consideration for you from a moral perspective, then before you go that route, try first for at least one year.

Did you hear that?

Try for at least one year!

And I mean REALLY try. You can always call it quits. You always have that option. But once you pull that trigger, it's over. No more chances. Your life will never be the same. Do you have kids? If you do, their life will never be the same.

If you end your marriage, you don't want there to be a shred of doubt in your mind. You don't ever want to look back and wonder if things could have been different. You don't want to ask yourself, "What if this...and what if that...what if I tried this...what if I did that?"

If you have to end your marriage, you want to know DEEP IN YOUR HEART that you did everything you could to make it work. If you have to end it, you want to be able to
move on with your life and into another relationship with a clear head. You want to come
to a place of healthy "closure." THIS IS CRUCIAL! And to accomplish this, in my experience, it takes at least one year. I know it probably seems like a long time, but it's an investment in the rest of your life.

Here's the key point. Listen carefully. It's a good investment for the rest of your life WHETHER YOUR MARRIAGE SUCCEEDS OR NOT. Obviously, it's a good investment if you turn your marriage around. But if you don't, it will NOT have been a wasted year. It will have been the most important thing you could have done with that year because of how your effort will impact the rest of your life AND (if it comes to this)
YOUR NEXT RELATIONSHIP.

I have seen too many cases of spouses ending their marriage prematurely, and as result of not reaching "closure" in one relationship, they find themselves in the same situation a few years later with someone else.

Honestly, you need to work on your marriage before considering divorce. If you don’t, you will be surprised that, the same situation will occur in your next relationship and the one after….so it will keep going.

In private sessions with people, sometimes the progress they make turns out to be more
beneficial for them in their next relationship than in their current one.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that your intention while you're working on your marriage should be for the benefit of your life after your marriage. Your intention needs to be to restore your CURRENT relationship. But if you fail, your effort will NOT have been for naught.

Bottom line is this. If you're asking, "When is it time to call it quits?" The answer is: one
year after you think you're done. If after one year of trying everything in your power to make your marriage work you're still miserable, then you should consider moving on. Until then, hang in there and don't give up.

It's NEVER too late! In fact (and here's real food for thought), very often the turning point in a marriage is when a couple hits rock bottom. Sometimes it's not until things couldn't get worse that they can get better.

I wish you and your spouse the best. If I can help you, let me know. If you're ready to revamp your relationship, I suggest you register for the next Marriage Fitness Tele-Boot
Camp. It's a 7-week transformational experience. All you need to participate is a telephone and a CD player. For information and or to register.