Interesting interview with Dr. Scott Haltzman on Good Morning America this past week about how men can improve their marriage (I didn't see it on TV, just read it online). His basic premesis is treat marriage like a job because men are inherently action-oriented and can make their marriage succeed by using work skills. He's got some interesting points from his book "The Secrets of Happily Married Men: Eight Ways to Win Your Wife's Heart Forever".

Based on his interview, I do agree strongly with certain points such as our ability to truly listen and not just hear. This means to overdo the listening or desire to listen to her and not listen because you have too. If there were times I may have disappointed my wife, it was when I forgot a certain task and to her that was an indication that I had not listened to her. Even though it may not have been the case and I would blame it on my undiagnosed ADD or my overwhelming task load, it still reflected poorly on me and didn't help the relationship.

More important than listening, I believe the most important point is to make your spouse or gf truly #1. No matter how busy you may be (at work or at home) or what obligations you may have or how tired you may be from all of it, your spouse or gf has to be #1 in your life. I think all of Haltzman's "secrets" stem from this pillar. I always refer back to 50 First Dates -- just remember, Henry Roth made every date about her and never about him and I believe that is love.