In an act of tremendous perseverance, 64-year-old Diana Nyad recently became the first person to swim from Cuba to Key West without the aid of flippers, a wetsuit, or a shark cage. This was Diana’s fifth attempt.
Last year, she nearly lost her life trying the more than 100-mile swim after being stung nine times by poisonous jellyfish.
Diana’s story is impressive, to say the least, but it’s also a great lesson on the power of determination, and a reminder that amazing things are possible if we’re willing to work for them.
- Diana Nyad completed her swim on September 2nd.
Diana had a goal, and she didn’t let anything stand in her way, not her age, danger, past failures – she took all of the challenges head on and successfully achieved her dream!
In many ways, this incredible story can serve as inspiration for each and every one of us, especially those of us working to improve the quality of our marriage. It may be tough, it might be a lot of work, there might be unseen dangers and the memory of past failures to contend with, but it doesn’t make the end goal impossible by any means. There are many couples who have fallen back in love and healed their marriages even after they divorced.
Every major achievement is going to have its challenges, and it’s the way that we approach them that helps determine success. If we let the prospect of difficulty turn us away from the goals we want to achieve, we’ll never get anywhere!
Diana learned from her experiences and failed attempts, and made sure she was prepared for this 5th (ultimately successful) venture. By evaluating what went wrong in the past, bolstering her determination, and building a support team to help her complete this monumental swim, she came out on top.
Her message to the world: “We should never, ever give up.”
She aims to teach people that determination is one of the most powerful forces in the world, that if we want something bad enough, we should be able to do whatever it takes to achieve it.
When it comes to working on your marriage, remember Diana’s strength of will. It may be tough at times, it may be painful and slow going, there will be obstacles along the way, but none of that makes a strong, happy marriage impossible if you’re both willing to work for it. Check out this article “Four Ways To Fall Back In Love” for some advice you can apply today.
When you’ve done the hard work, when the hurdles are behind you, and your goals have been achieved, every ounce of difficulty is worth it. What’s stopping you?
For more tips on improving your mood and marriage, check out the StrongMarriageNow System today!
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Dr. Dana Fillmore and Amy Barnhart, co-Founders, StrongMarriageNow.com
What I'd like to ask of you: Would you add some advice about helping the ADHD spouse to focus and be present in more serious ways that promote intimacy? My husband's ADHD symptoms have been rather well controlled, however, his attention span can be so poor that he struggles to be deeply present to my inner self at times. This is not attractive. How do I wake him up to the emotional intelligence he needs to develop? Sometimes, it is as though I am married to a very nice, sexy, and helpful teenager with a good heart who is in his 50's! He is devoted and loving. I just can't seem to help him to 'see' more of what is really important--to become more soulful and experience more meaningfully that which he is striving for. It is a goal he expresses almost daily; to become more connected in a soulful and meaningful way. My modeling helps, he says. But, he is slow in developing these character values. ADHD adds to the difficulties. To sum it up, as his wife, I want him to be more aware of everything, especially me; To "get me" and penetrate my eyes with a look that says he is conscious of my inner world, is exploring it with great interest, and wants to make love to me "there". He is aware that he is missing the depth and we are both frustrated--although very affectionate, sexual, and madly in love.
married 18 years, he's pretty much cheated throughout, all I do is cry, I and read everything here I can, devoting myself to not getting unsound advice in hopes I can save my marriage. Alone might I add. I've always told my husband I couldn't stay for another affair, he always made me prove I was strong enough to eat my words, two years ago I told him I WOULDN'T, he has gone into stealth mode now and is using the internet as a safety net, I have learned never to question my womanly instinct where him and other women are concerned, right now I have have nothing but pain at his "sneakyness" and I can do nothing to stop it, I am trying all the suggestions here and though it has helped or relationship on some levels, I still can't seem to figure out how to better myself as a woman so that my husband will stop turning to other women....somebody please help. I have worked to hard and to long to just give up. I'm truly at the bottom of a pit with no more ideas to help pull me up.
have you tried couple counseling? just you seeking help is not enough. if you want to save your marriage, he has get help. it is possible that he is addicted to cheating. some men or women are like that who still love their partners and want to stay in marriage but can't help going out for new excitement - it is a mental illness. also, if you had told him that you wouldn't stay for another affair, and he had one anyway, but you also stayed anyway, you lost your power over fixing this issue as well as lost respect from him because he thinks you would never leave & can be taken for granted no matter what he does. i (not a professional marriage counselor, but just a person outside your marriage who maybe can analyze things with clear head) think you can do four things: 1. find out if he has addiction problem (talk to a doctor or something); 2. learn to hold your head up and tell & think to yourself that you are wondeful person who deserve a respectful spouse & he can no way find a woman who is better than you; 3. with this mentality, tell your husband with dignity, no begging tone that you are hurt by his infidelity and his action is close to destroy your marriage (18 years of cheating is not just a mistake), and that you still love him so want to figure out what is driving him to cheat & how to fix the issues together, but this would only work if he absolutely stops cheating & focus on your marriage, and finally tell him firmly that you don't want to leave him but if you have to, you will & if he still wants to stay in this marrage, then give his best shot; 4. with the same mentality, just focus on being a happy person by yourself, i.e., fill your life with other happy things not including him and his affairs. in another words, plan and do the best, but prepare for the worst.