To Marry or Not to Marry

Who teaches us what to look for in a life partner? Who are our guides? Do our parents really help us understand love and relationships? If they have a very good marriage, then perhaps they can provide a positive example, but in most cases, the parental example alone is not enough to help us determine our own partner, since we are different people than our parents. And, often, parents themselves have difficult marriages that we would rather avoid, adding more confusion to the issue. And then, of course, there is the cliche, "When you meet them, you'll just know." Without structure, the thoughts of marriage and compatibility of you and your partner become confusing and sometimes even overwhelming. This is one of the main reasons why people find themselves frustrated in the pursuit of love and simultaneously afraid of commitment. It may sound unromantic to many people, but the truth is that a decision of this magnitude requires real thought and analysis. Think about it: how much research do you do and how much thought do you give the decision of buying a new car? We analyze every last tiny detail. How much do you give the purchase of a new house? And if you buy a car you don't like, you get rid of it and buy another one. If you don't like the house after a year, you sell it and move. But if you get married to someone you no longer want to live with, the resolution is much more complex and difficult, which makes the initial decision to get engaged a particularly important one to get right the first time! Being generally unsatisfied with the "you'll just know" theory, the author set out to find a comprehensive method that would address and measure all of the elements vital to the decision of getting engaged. The result of several years of analysis identified Five Questions that dramatically increase the likelihood of a happy and successful marriage. Each is a question that you must ask yourself about your mate and the answer must be "Yes" to all five questions. Four out of five is insufficient and will likely lead you down a path of a long and tiring struggle. You might make it, but it will be tough. If you answer "yes" to only three out of five, chances are you are heading for a catastrophe. The 5 questions are very difficult to answer. You need to find the true answer for each question and not give into the temptation of answering with what you want to hear. Both you and your partner need to answer these questions and it is far better to find out the truth sooner rather than later. This takes a lot of courage for both of you, but is is definitely worth it!"