Many a marriage crisis emerges when a spouse declares, “I’m not happy.”  It is really a statement about discontent with the relationship.

But many respond by assuming they now know what they need to do:  make their spouse happy.

Which sets in motion an impossible task:  making another human happy.

Why won’t it work?  Why can’t you make your spouse happy?

Because a) it isn’t your responsibility, and b) it isn’t in your control.

In this week’s Save The Marriage Podcast episode, I dive in on why your efforts to make your spouse happy will fail.  We discuss what you can control and what you can’t.  And I give you four places to shift your focus, so that you can make progress in your efforts.

Listen below to learn why you can’t make your spouse happy… and what to do, instead.

RELATED RESOURCES
Why Marriages Get into Trouble
3 C’s of Saving Your Marriage
What Happy Couples Know Series
The Difference Between Happy and Hurting
The Save The Marriage System

When You Can’t Make Your Spouse Happy

Learn how to save your marriage and improve your relationship.  Stop your divorce and restore a loving relationship.  Join Dr. Lee H. Baucom for this impactful podcast that can save your marriage.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Relationships

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Self-Improvement

Yes, this is the #1 thing people request in therapy. And no, fixing it will not fix your marriage.

This is part rant, part warning, and part explanation.  Because, communication skills has somehow become a central tenet of hurting marriages.  So, therapists teach them, clients request them, and marriages just don't get better.

When I was in training, this somehow became the default approach, even after all the theory and explanations of problems in a marriage.  Lots of very convoluted, confusing theories were proposed, and then, the treatment?

Teach communication skills!

Which is probably why marriage therapy has such abysmal results.  When you look at the actual research, 50% of marriages that seek therapy still end up divorced.  Pretty much the overall national average for any marriage.  And only 10 to 15% of couples report any improvement.  Let me say that again:  any improvement.

Why?  Well there are multiple issues (I discuss them right here) behind this.  But a big reason is this emphasis on communication skills.  And yet, when I am meeting with a couple, almost always, I understand everything they are saying.  And they seem to understand each other!  That is not the issue.

In this episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast, I tell you why this isn't going to save your marriage, and how to make a shift to what can.

Listen below!

 

RELATED RESOURCES:
Podcast:  3 Problems with Therapy
Substack:  The Connection Compass
Program:  The Save The Marriage System

No, this will NOT fix your marriage! (but it’s the #1 request in therapy)

For awhile, I have been answering listener-submitted questions, and continue to do so in this episode (if YOU want to ask a question, send it to podcast@savethemarriage.com).

This week, I respond to a couple of questions about a spouse's indifference and/or resistance to attempts at connection.

It can be frustrating when you so desperately want to rebuild a marriage.  Maybe your spouse claims to want the same.  Maybe your spouse just doesn't respond much at all.  A little conversation... that goes nowhere.  Or attempts at conversation... that go nowhere.  It can feel frustrating and defeating.

How should you understand the situation?

What can you do about it?

Can you make progress?

We discuss these questions (and more) in this episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast.  Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES
3 Step Process
3 C's of Doing It
Importance of Connection
When Spouse Can't See A Way
Resentment and Anger
Save The Marriage System
The Connection Compass 

Dealing With an Indifferent Spouse

Where could your efforts fail?

Those are the failpoints. They can trip you up and make you think nothing will work in your efforts.

But let me be clear.  They are potential failpoints. They are not inevitable.

Failpoints, in engineering, is caused by stress on a particular point. In machines, a particular piece is stressed long enough that it finally gives. It breaks.

In marriage, there are also potential failpoints -- caused by stressors on different points in the relationship.

In this episode, I cover the three big failpoints that you face in your efforts... along with me talking about how to avoid the failpoints.

 

RELATED RESOURCES
My new resource, The Connection Compass
My Save The Marriage System
Podcast episode: 3 Reasons Your Efforts May Fail
Podcast Episode: 4 Failing Fears

 

3 Failpoints You Face

When I started this podcast over 10 years ago, I wondered how far we would go. Well, here we are on episode 500, with over 5.25 million downloads to far. And at the same time, I celebrate 58 years on earth. A couple of milestones I wanted to mark, for sure!

Which raises the question from a listener, on what I have learned in life. I’ll share 5 big things I’ve learned in my trips around the sun.

But before I get there, I thought I'd tell you how I got here:  500 episodes of the podcast, a number of books and online courses, and lots of coaching.  How did I end up in this world, in this profession?

And why do I keep at it?  I have long said that my job was to put myself out of business.  It won't happen.  But that is always my goal.  Until then, I'll keep showing up to help people build better marriages and have better lives.

Thank YOU for being part of this journey!

 

RELATED RESOURCES:
My Save The Marriage System
My New Training Resource, The Connection Compass
My Books
The Husband Bootcamp
The Field Guide To Marriage

Milestones and Markers — 500 Episodes!

Let's just say that the bumper sticker, "I used to be cool," has nothing to do with me. I was not cool. I was more the nerdy kid. And to be honest, I'm not sure I have really outgrown that.

In my teen years, I was a magician. My friends were magicians, jugglers, clowns, ventriloquists, and carneys. I even started a magic club at my high school. And no, the cool kids did not show up for it. Ever.

But I will tell you one thing about magic:  it taught me a ton of life lessons... and a ton of psychology! I still recall those lessons to this day.

I probably learned more about humans and perception in my performing than I ever did in my psychology courses. I also learned lessons of perseverance and practice. That is the only way to master sleight of hand. I still rely on that to this day.

Which is why I am always interested when people ask me about the "trick" to saving their marriage. They want some little technique, some "sleight of mind" that will shift their spouse.

But more than that, there are some other lessons from magic that I watch play out. For example, people can come up with the most complex idea about how to do something. They complicate some simple things... in magic tricks and in life. And particularly in marriages.

In this Save The Marriage Podcast episode, we discuss the problems people create in their attempts to find the trick to saving their marriage.

 

 

RELATED RESOURCES:
My new free resource, The Connection Compass
My Save The Marriage System
My books
A training on The Dangers of  the Shortcut

When You Can’t Make Your Spouse Happy

Download our free app to listen on your phone