Success is a concept that carries with it all kinds of associations. Money, career achievement, fame, these and a dozen other factors contribute in one way or another to our working definition of success. But at the end of the day, there's one aspect of success that carries more weight than all of them combined. When your Creator asks you how you did on earth, He or She is going to be asking about your relationships, not your bank account. If you've had wonderful family relationships, you will be able to call yourself a true success in life no matter what else you've achieved.

My wife Marilee and I have been married for 34 years. Notice I didn't say "happily" married for 34 years. The truth is, there were many years when at least one of us wasn't very happy with the other one. But rather miraculously, we made it through, and now I can honestly say I've never been happier with our relationship. I see my 55-year-old wife as the most wonderful, prettiest, sexiest woman I know. She's also my best friend.

At the same time, over those 34 years, we've watched about half the couples we know get divorced, while another significant percentage live in what Thoreau might call "quiet unhappiness."

What are the secrets to making your most important life relationship healthy and successful? Certainly, the specifics vary from one situation to the next. But I think you'll find that the solution to almost every relationship challenge can be discovered by examining your actions in two areas: commitment and communication.

Commitment

How committed are you? There is a remarkable difference between a commitment of 99% and 100%.

First and foremost, you must be disciplined about making your significant other a top priority in your life. Relationships that "make it" have remained a top priority of both of the parties involved.

In its early days, our primary relationship always has top priority. We're usually obsessed with the other person, ignoring their faults and seeing their idiosyncrasies as cute. As time passes, however, we become accustomed to our significant other, and we start seeing that they're not nearly as flawless as they once were. At the same time, a hundred different priorities