“THE NEW RULES OF MARRIAGE” Author Terrence Real

On January 30th, 2007 “The New Rules of Marriage” will be available to the public. It is published through Ballantine Books/Random House. I’ve had the pleasure of reading the pre-published version of this book and found it to be an excellent book for couples and relationships. I strongly recommend you purchase this book as soon as it comes out--you won’t be sorry.

“The New Rules of Marriage” is packed with concrete information and skills for couples to learn and try out in their own relationships. It is, in my opinion, a “how to” book for couples. I strongly recommend it for couples on the brink, couples wanting to hone their relational skills, and for couples just starting out.

Couples just starting out can use this book as a guide that will help them avoid many of the pitfalls old (I use that term in jest) married couples fall into. It is also an excellent book for pre-marital counseling programs.

The author, Terry Real, often talks about “full-respect living” both in your actions AND…between your ears. I love that last part. I know of many therapists and relationship coaches who speak to clients about the importance of communicating respectfully with one another with their words, however I haven’t heard too many talk about the importance of thinking respectfully. Subsequently, we not only don’t call someone “stupid” when they trip or make a mistake, but we also don’t think to ourselves “Oh my Gosh, can they be anymore stupid?!”. Imagine that!

Full-respect living is a way of being in the world. It’s about accepting one another’s human-ness without judgment or going “one-up”. It’s about living a life of integrity and having your loved ones, as well as yourself, benefit from that.

Full-respect living is a very spiritual concept that will change the relationships of all who live it.

Challenge: Pay attention and get conscious of all the ways you are not respectful to those around you--either in your head or in your actions.