I read every email I receive from subscribers/readers/fans. I read every tweet. I read every Facebook post and LinkedIn post. I do this because I often find inside these communications an opportunity for an article that could add value to everyone. One such opportunity presented itself yesterday. I think this is an important topic and thought I’d share some of my research.
When both spouses are on the same page, success is almost guaranteed. When both spouses are not on the same page, success comes hard. What do I mean by being on the same page?
- Both spouses are frugal when it comes to money.
- Both spouses are habitual savers – If one spouse is not a saver, it will virtually guarantee that you will never become financially independent.
- Both spouses have similar long-term financial goals.
- Both spouses have a positive, upbeat mindset – Having a positive mindset is a prerequisite for success. If one spouse suffers from depression and does not seek treatment to manage it, that virtually guarantees you will not succeed in achieving your dreams and goals. It will derail you from the pursuit of success. Drug or alcohol addictions will create a toxic environment and infect both spouses with a negative mindset. Gambling addictions have the same toxic effect on mindset for both spouses.
- Both spouses are supportive of each another – We all have dreams and goals. Supportive means each spouse supports the other in the pursuit of their dreams and goals. Sixty-one percent of the self-made millionaires in my Rich Habits Study were business owners. Their spouses supported them in their efforts to grow their business. Oftentimes, both spouses worked together in growing the business.
- Both spouses must be loyal to each other – Infidelity will not only doom a marriage, it will almost always prevent you from becoming rich and successful. Only 19% of the millionaires in my study were divorced, whereas 46% of the poor in my study were divorced. There are numerous studies that found divorce of a spouse is more stressful than the death of a spouse, which negatively affects your health. Not only that, divorce is often financial suicide. Most never recover financially from a divorce. The few who do learn that it takes an average of 5-7 years to recover from a divorce.
When both spouses are not on the same page, success becomes very difficult. It’s like having a business partner who is not working on the business. Both spouses must pull the same cart together. When one spouse is not on the same page, the cart will eventually become too hard to pull on your own.
About Thomas C. Corley
Rarely will two people be the same on everything, but understanding the other’s direction and trying to mold your collective direction so you’re at least pointed the same way is valuable too. You may not both be hyper-frugal, but knowing what’s important to your partner can help smooth out a lot of life’s bumps.
This post is spot-on! We’ve been married 33 years and our success in marriage has been because we’ve been, as you say, “on the same page”. Is this easy? No, not always. We continually hone our attitudes and thinking. It’s a life-long endeavor to be on the same page… the same as living a successful life as husband and wife. Sharing the same Values as a couple has made this easier for us – in fact, our first, differentiating Value (of rank-ordered three) is Loyalty! 😉 The other two are Optimism and Discovery. I’m really enjoying your emails – thank you for the time and value you’re providing.