Have you ever looked at a married couple and wished that you could be that lucky or maybe just that brave? It happens all the time. Believe it or not, more singles look at married couples and wonder how did those two people get there and how can they achieve that for themselves than wonder any other similar topic. More than even amassing wealth, a solid, committed relationship seems to be so far out there for some individuals that they don’t even know where to begin.
If you were to ask that same couple how they got to where they are today, you could bet their answer would not have a fairy godmother, a magic coach or a clock striking midnight involved. What it did involve were two people who cared enough about each other and about themselves to overcome the fear of commitment.
That fear is what causes some to hesitate entering into long-term relationships much less marriage because they are afraid it will be too confining or that the trade-offs won’t be worth it. Commitment itself seems to be uttered in the same breath as claustrophobia. There are a lot of people who’ll leave a perfectly good relationship just because of the dreaded C word.
For most couples that have already taken the C plunge — there’s nothing to fear about commitment except fear itself. In most relationships, commitment enriches the bond between the couple and it allows the relationship to mature and grow. If you’re just looking for someone to have a good time with and only when you’re in a good mood on certain days of the month – then it’s like commitment isn’t what you’re looking for. Commitment is about the good times and the bad – it doesn’t require marriage.
Marriage is the social institution that publicly acknowledges the commitment. Commitment can only be made by the two people who are involved and it’s about more than just putting up with bad habits, it’s about rain and sunshine, snow and drought or feast and famine. It’s about wanting to be there for those things – not just having to be there.