appreciation Archives ⋆ Mike and Susan Dawson

The Secret Sauce to a Woman’s Greatest Need: LOVE!

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:13:07+00:00Love, Relationships|

In last week’s blog post, we kick-started a conversation on the differences between spouses and how it’s usually those differences that cause the most conflict with couples we see. Plainly, men and women think differently and have very specific needs that need to be met and understood to improve generosity, love, and grace toward each other. Borrowing a page or two — or three — from Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn’s books for women only and for men only, we’ve already dove into a man’s greatest need — respect. Now, let’s talk about “a woman’s greatest need.” What a wife needs — LOVE! I often share funny stories with couples that [...]

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Putting good things into your marriage: Love and Respect, Appreciation and Gratitude, Treasure and Serve

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:14:04+00:00Love, Respect|

Have you ever heard the term, stagnant marriage? It’s when things in your relationship no longer feel exciting and fresh. It’s not that you don’t love one another. But, you’re both kinda just … there. This is normal, by the way — we just need to find a way to snap out of it. But how do we do that? As we learned last week, you have to keep putting good things into your marriage. Whether that be small acts of kindness like texting, “I love you,” speaking each other’s love language, or doing something fun like reenacting your first date, we have to constantly show how important we are [...]

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Putting good things into your marriage: Love and Fun

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:14:05+00:00Love|

We’ve all heard the saying that you never stop working on your house. As pretty and perfect as it is, there is always something to add or improve as the years go by — upgrade the landscaping, re-paint a bedroom, remodel the kitchen, add a patio cover or a pool, fix stuff, etc. And just when we finish one thing, a new one takes its place. Wait! Why are we talking about houses? Because they are a great analogy for relationships. We should always be putting good things into our marriage, too — whether our lives together couldn’t be any more perfect or it’s time to look at how to [...]

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We’ve All Experienced Loss in the Last 3 Months. But What Have We Gained?

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:14:13+00:00Expectations, Focus|

When the COVID-19 warnings ramped up in early March, most of us were leery about what was going on but, for the most part, remained optimistic that it was nothing more than a temporary blip on the “that’s life-o-meter.” As time went by, though, things got serious. People got sick, everyday freedoms were limited or lost, businesses closed, and everyone was asked to stay home. If you were like us, you couldn’t even watch TV without seeing more bad news. As a result, you probably noticed overwhelming and erratic emotions swimming around in your head. One day, you’re hopeful about the future. And the next, you’re stressed to the max. [...]

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Powerful, Direction-Changing Results of Appreciation

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:14:53+00:00Appreciation, Generosity|

Every time we express appreciation to our spouse it: Builds Trust Creates Intimacy Opens up Communication Supports Mutual Sharing The Problem with Appreciation Appreciation is recognizing the great qualities in someone. But, there's a problem with appreciation. Unless you tell someone what you appreciate about them, it's ONLY A NICE THOUGHT. When you tell someone what you appreciate about them, that action becomes a force, enricher, and influencer in the relationship that can change the overall theme and direction. It's proven time again in Mike's practice, our work with married couples, and even our marriage. When you tell your spouse things you appreciate about them, it changes the rhythm of [...]

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