10/31/2025
Earlier this month someone I barely know reached out to me for relationship advice (a horrible idea, by the way). They were thinking about ending their marriage and needed an outsider’s take.
I told them what I always say: if it’s abuse, run. Anything else? Fight.
Love is a lot like the gym. You walk in dreaming of quick wins. Then the weight hits, your knees buckle, and you’re gasping like you just sprinted uphill.
Relationships do that. The difference is learning when the shake is growth and when it’s a tear.
We’ve all called it wrong before. Bailed when it was just hard. Stayed when it was truly broken. Most of us have.
Half of marriages end. 50%. That doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.
Of the half still together, roughly 10% are hanging on for the kids, another 10% for the money.
Subtract those, and you’re left with the 30% who stay because they choose to.
So how did the 30% do it?
They know what anyone who’s ever stuck with a workout plan knows: happiness isn’t luck. It’s showing up on the days you want to quit. Laughing when the bar slips. Celebrating the morning you finally lift what crushed you last month.
We’re sold fairy tales in swipe-right culture. Real love has plateaus, bad reps, and weeks where nothing clicks. The 30% don’t wait for magic. They spot the good, patch the cracks, and treat every fight like a hard set—messy, sweaty, but worth it.
You don’t need a perfect partner. You need to choose to be the 30%.
