So, what were you thinking… What if we did get down and dirty about relationship expectations? Here are my top five expectations that show up in nearly all vibrant relationships. If you have these and become user-friendly with them, you’ll be able swim in the relational mud baths with ease. 1. Expect your relationship to be difficult at…

Read More

I remember as a kid my “friends” saying to me, “I dare you to…” Maybe it was shooting a spitball at the teacher or another student, jumping off the ledge, smoking this, kissing that girl, or whatever. Sometimes I did it. Sometimes I didn’t. I loved the excitement of the challenge. I didn’t like, however,…

Read More

 by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Manage Your Life Thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards, and now Anthony Weiner, infidelity has been making headlines—and people are reexamining their own relationships. The Pew Research Center recently found that 40 percent of Americans think marriage is becoming obsolete. Another recent Pew study found that Millennials (people age 18 to 29) say they think that…

Read More

I have discovered a stark contrast between what each sex thinks the opposite sex wants from them, and what the opposite sex really does want. What women think men want from them causes women to have resentment and anger toward men, and feel hopeless about ever developing a wonderful, warm, romantic partnership. What men think…

Read More

12 MUSTS for a Successful Long-Term Intimate Relationship Two people must embrace the fact that your lives will change, i.e. your stage of life, body, pressures/stresses, etc. Don’t be fooled to believe that your relationship will always be like your dating years. Two people must be willing to compromise. Rigidity and entitlement breed discontent and hostility. Cultivate the attitude…

Read More

I really enjoy working with couples. It’s fulfilling and challenging to help couples make needed changes that bring more connection in their lives. Much of the challenge, however, is that dynamics within a relationship change as often as ocean sand may shift and take on new shapes. One of those new shapes is what I hear a…

Read More

Lots of family cultures have their funny little sayings and gestures at certain events. One such phrase that I’m familiar with is preceded by eating Chinese food. After the meal, we would typically reach for the fortune cookie. Our custom would be to read the phrase out loud and end with “under the sheets.” Some…

Read More