Life's Best Training Partner

Much of our society is built on the institution of marriage, yet it is one of the few arrangements we commonly enter into that can be incredibly dangerous. The statistics on first-time marriages, while not as dire as the overall average, have a painfully high failure rate (40%). A marriage ending poorly can have ripple effects, decimating your net worth and complicating the rest of your life.

Life is long, and we're constantly growing, learning, and changing. What are the chances that someone who seemed right in your 20s will still be the best fit in your 50s and beyond?

Yet on the flip side, I think being lucky in who you marry is one of the most profound and fundamental ways that a person can be fortunate. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and your spouse obviously accounts for a vast majority of the impact in shaping who you grow into.

Today, on my wife's birthday, I've reflected on how lucky I am to have found her. While not every day is easy, I know that both of us are better people for having each other in our lives. The ways we've grown together have been surprising: we met in the church and left our faith together. We've learned so much about the challenges of parenting and value similar kinds of experiences we can build with our children.

We both got serious about our fitness journey at similar times. While I had been in it longer and brought more technical expertise in exercise selection and technique, she taught me so much about showing up for yourself consistently, about shaping your life around a few key priorities, and about not quitting no matter how tired you are. I know I'm a much stronger person for her example and encouragement in my life.

We're really in it for the long term, and I couldn't pick a better person to grow old with.