In my late teens and into my 20s, I really struggled with relationships and dating. In fact, this is what first brought me into the personal development world.I read in an e-book about dating when I was 19 that in order to attract a great woman into my life I needed to be a really great guy. It made sense so I spent many years trying to do that. I really craved a wonderful relationship and an eventual marriage to the woman of my dreams who deeply loved me, because in the back of my mind I truly believed this was what would make me happy.I guess that’s what happens when you are brought up watching Bollywood movies every Friday night with your parents!However, as I got into my late 20s I also saw that whilst there were people I knew who’d been married for many years and even decades, I didn’t know anyone whose marriage I wanted to emulate.As I approached my early 30s, I started to be more and more sceptical about the institution of marriage and whether couples could be married for decades and still maintain that same or even deeper level of love and connection as when they first met. It seemed like this happened very rarely.It was only after I came across the 3 Principles that I found something remarkable and surprising to me. I met a number of couples who had been together for decades and who were not only still deeply in love, but they also lived that day-to-day and it showed in their words and actions.This was very unusual because I hadn’t seen this in the personal development world or in my own network of friends and family. And so it really stood out to me.This was one of the things that sparked me to start a podcast on relationships with mentors and colleagues of mine who had been around the 3 Principles for many years and had deep wonderful loving relationships.I can now say that whilst my marriage isn’t perfect, I’ve deeply benefited from applying this understanding to my marriage and seeing how my wife is not the source of any of my feelings, good or bad. This led to more love, deeper connection and gratitude for my wife and our relationship. Not because she gives me anything emotionally but because I appreciate her for her. I know had I not come across the 3 Principles we would have never got married and if by some miracle we did, it would have ended many times over.There’s a great interview I did with the 3 Principles mentors Keith Blevens and his wife Valda Monroe about how they managed to have easier discussions in their 40+ years of marriage. You can find it below.
With love and appreciation,AnkushCoach and Author of Sweet Sharing – Rediscovering the REAL You
With love and appreciation,AnkushCoach and Author of Sweet Sharing – Rediscovering the REAL You