25 Things To Do to Have a Long Lasting Happy Married Life

Today, September 11, 2018, John and I are celebrating our 25th Year Anniversary. 18 years as husband and wife and 7 years as boyfriend-girlfriend. Same date, except the year of course, lol!

Here are the 25 Things To Do to Have a Long Lasting Happy Married Life:

1. Smile. Give your spouse a big smile instead of a frown. Always greet him or her good morning to make the day light.

2. Let Your Spouse Be Right. Sometimes, spouses can be competitive with each other. This will result to anger and resentment. Nobody wants to lose but believe me it feels good to let your spouse be right.

3. Agree to Disagree. Instead of trying to win a petty argument regarding a certain topic that you have different opinions,  choose to agree to disagree and just respect each other's opinion.

4. Enjoy Eacsh Other Differences.  Let's face it, no two persons are exactly alike. Even identical twins are different in so many ways. Remember that differences addflavor and spice into relationship.

5.  Don't Take It Personally. If your spouse can't say yes to your request, don't be upset. Instead listen carefully for the reason.  He or she may have a lot of going on in the office or business. his or her head. 

6, Love Unconditionally. I used to nag John about his dirty clothes lying near the hamper. I get irritated that he can't put those clothes where it belong. I've learned to reverse my negative feeling. Each time I pick up his clothes, I say thank you that I am doing something for my husband. Just like how John embraced the blogging world because he loves me unconditionally.

7. Have Faith in Your Spouse. There will be time when people make mistake. Have faith that your spouse will recover from that mistake. Back in 2010 up to 2012, I was very to belong to a group of blogger friend. We'd go to events almost every day, sometimes 3 to 5 events in a day. I was too happy enjoying my time outside that John nearly throw me out (wink, wink!). Instead of him getting mad, he chose to have faith in me. I am now a changed wife. We go to events together and enjoy each others company. 

8. Be Dependable. If you promise to do something, make every effort to do it because dependability is a a virtue that will result to being trustworthy.

9. Take Advice Seriously. If your spouse is good at a certain topic or area, take his or her advice seriously.  I have no sense of fashion but John has a keen eye for what looks good and not. When I was still working in the corporate world, my colleagues would compliment my ensemble. Thanks to my husband I'd reply back then.

10. Exercise Together. Find that one exercise that you both love. John and I love biking and walking so we enjoy going to our friends house by bike and we love walking inside the malls for hours!

11. Be Spontaneous. Life is too short and precious to plan and play it safe all the time. Our most memorable trips are those unplanned. So go ahead, just drive and let the moment take you somewhere romantic

12. Give Sincere Compliments. I used to cry when John would comment truthfully about the food I cooked. One time I cooked adobo and John said, this asado tastes so good. Because he was giving me sincere compliments on "that asado" I have mastered the best asado in town. I still can't cook adobo though.

13. Have a Good Conversation.  John and I always have a good conversation when we're stuck in traffic instead of getting irritated, we make use of our time wisely by talking about happy moments, planning trips and talking about our children.

14. Work Together. By working together, it isn't literal. You can work together on a special project. John and I works hand-in hand on an outreach activity every February 20. 

15. Don't Force Forgiveness. There's an old saying in the Philippines, "wag matutulog ng magkagalit". I used to think this is to be followed so I wanted John to forgive my mistakes before going to sleep, or I'd force myself to forgive even if I wasn't ready. The outcome, we resent each other more. So don't force forgiveness because it will happen when your spouse is ready to forgive.

16. Listen To Your Spouse Instincts.  There are many instances in the past that John would tell me if someone is just using me to get favors. I didn't listen. More often than not, I get in trouble for not listening to his instincts.

17. We Are Willing To Change To Make One Another Happy.  John used to hate going to events. He only likes going to ToyCon, Comicon and Lazada. But since he wants to make me happy, he is now more than willing to be there for me. (He said, I had no choice, lol)

18. Put Yourself in Your Spouse Shoes. To understand your spouse bad mood, put yourself in his or her shoes. She might have had a rough time in the office or was too tired to drive home so don't be mad when your spouse looks cranky.

19. Make Each Moment Count. John had an attack 2 years ago. We just found out he had cardiomyopathy. Although we already live life to the fullest even prior to the attack, we are more appreciative of each other, counting every little joy we receive each day.

20. Ask for Forgiveness.

21.  Learn from your mistakes.

22.  Work Together on A Project. Every February 20, John and I have are actively doing an outreach activity for 8 years now.

23.  Be Strong for Each Other.

24.  Be Each Others Cheerleader

25.  Honor Your Wedding Vows.