Your Personal Top 10

One of the great joys of blog writing is that occasionally someone responds with a comment, critique, or suggestion. It makes me feel important in a "when I grow up I want to be a professional writer" sort of way.

As such, I was delighted last week when a friend sent along a link to Dan & Mike's "Top 10 Reasons for A Successful Marriage" list. Dan and Mike, in case you don't know, are relationship experts (their website doesn't exactly explain what makes them experts, but I'll take them at their word) who regularly appear on CNN, Fox News, Oprah, and other media outlets.

Here's their list:

1. Open and consistent communication

2. Keeping Intimacy Fresh

3. Setting Mutual Goals

4. Having a Life Outside of Each Other

5. Having fun things to look forward to together

6. Addressing the “800 lb Guerillas” ie. Money, parenting, religion, etc

7. Creating marriage rituals and keeping them consistent

8. Variety in the bedroom

9. Empowering trust within each other

10. Remember to have fun with each other and get over arguments quickly

Reasonable stuff, don't you think? The same sort of things that you might have read here on this blog, or heard in any variety of women's magazines, websites, or talk shows.

So here's a new idea for some familiar advice: take two minutes and rank order the list. What's your number one? Now ask your spouse to do the same. Should spur some conversation.