who seemed determined to confirm their belief that good relationships are simply impossible for any save the fortunate few who, for unknown reasons, were lucky enough to have found their soul mates.

    We vowed that we would even reveal the secrets of “fortunate” souls that enabled them to create not only good marriages but great ones. We would interview people who met our criteria for fulfilling relationships and share their stories in a way that would both inspire readers and illuminate the key factors that made these couples’ success possible. And we would do it all without delivering the long lists of dos and don’ts and other commandments that self-help books are famous for. The book that you are holding represents the results of that commitment.

    The statistics for successful marriages haven’t changed much since we started working with couples in the mid-1970s. Slightly over 50 percent of first marriages

still end in divorce, and about 60 percent of second marriages do. Despite the thousands of books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, and workshops about creating successful relationships, and the countless millions of dollars spent on therapy and marriage counseling, the numbers haven’t changed much. We are neither presumptuous nor arrogant enough to claim that this book will completely reverse this trend. We do believe, however, that it contains wisdom that, if taken to heart, has the potential to inspire and transform the lives of couples who otherwise might add to the list of casualties represented by divorce statistics. Although the stories in this book may not change the world, they can change at least one life: yours.

    There are reasons why such a low percentage of married couples fail to achieve the quality of life together they hoped for when they decided to marry. It’s not necessarily for lack of trying, lack of motivation, lack of