Jerks, losers, men and women who ain’t about nothing…call them whatever you want—we will show you how to avoid them and find “the one” that’s right for you. This class will help you break destructive dating patterns that have kept you from finding the love you deserve! Are you ready to start the journey? Mark your calendar! This class begins Sept. 30th!
This class is not what you think and more than you expect. No matter what your thoughts are about a “relationship class” you have never experienced anything like Basic Training For Couples. It is one of the most effective and respected relationship curriculums in this country. You’ve also never experienced the kind of clarity, honesty, and laughter that Ayize and Aiyana bring to each of their classes and their couples—Never.
I wish I could explain to you what these classes can do for your relationship and for your own personal development. I wish you could understand that it’s not only the classes but it’s the process in and of itself. The process of coming together with other couples, sharing, being real, stretching, and growing with your partner and with each other is what will change you and your relationship forever. Click here for frequently asked questions about our class. Click here to register.
VIDEO: Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself “What’s my grade as a wife and as a mother?” Well, on one of our previous posts I (Ayize) gave Aiyana a grade of 92% as a wife. I also mentioned that she hasn’t always been an A- which prompted one of our wonderful faithful viewers to ask “What did Aiyana do to improve her grade as a wife?” Well, you asked so in this video I answer that question and let you know just how Aiyana stepped up her status on the wife chart. Weigh in, leave a comment with what you think or submit a video response. You know we want to hear from you. 🙂
Subscribe in a readerVIDEO: Have you ever been in a relationship where you felt used? It may not have begun that way but over time the spark in the relationship fizzles as your partner leans on you so much it’s hard to stand. In this video we address a viewer who feels like her husband isn’t carrying his weight. She says he’s lazy and is seriously questioning the future of their relationship. How have you dealt with a lazy mate? Leave a comment or submit a video response letting us know what you think.
VIDEO: Everybody wants happy and healthy relationships that they feel cared for and respected in. A lot of people define success as having exactly that. If everybody wants happy and healthy relationships why doesn’t everybody have them? Maybe it’s because as individuals we’re not bringing “happy and healthy” to the table…. If you want good communication, hot sex, solid commitment, honesty, quality time that keeps the two of you bonded, and conflict that you manage versus it managing your relationship—then you’ve GOT TO DO SOME WORK! Great relationships don’t just magically happen. They come about as a result of two people doing the easy fun stuff and the hard work that gets on their very last nerve and is about to drive them crazy! We attended the well known and nationally recognized Smart Marriages Conference in Orlando, Florida last month. While there we talked with good friends of ours and colleagues Reggie & Peachie Williams about why they think it’s important to take time to B Intentional about what you’re putting into your marriage. A quick tip: Focus on what’s being said—not my crazy camera work! The camera’s all over the place yall so cut us some slack. 🙂 When you finish listening in ask yourself “What am I getting out of my marriage?” Now, sit down and try your best to get in your head that whatever you’re getting out of your relationship is a DIRECT REFLECTION of what you’re putting into it. It really is that simple.
Reggie & Peachie Williams are the creators of Courageous Conversations & Peachie’s Nectar. For workshop information contact them at workshops@courageous-conversations.org & to learn more about and receive Peachie’s Nectar contact Peachie at Peachiepw@gmail.com.
VIDEO: You never really know a person until you witness them handling hardship. If you are thinking about taking your relationship to the next level pay close attention to how your partner deals with difficulty, disagreements, and rejection. How they cope in moments of mild or significant conflict will help you decide whether this person is the one you truly want to spend your life with. Most folks we know try to avoid pain & conflict at all costs. But, we believe conflict is a normal and natural thing. Yes, we will even go as far as to say it’s a GOOD thing. Does it feel good? No. Is it necessary? Yes. If we never experience the strain and stress of pain and conflict with the one we say we love then we never get a chance to truly experience the remarkable healing power of forgiveness, repair, and emotional and spiritual maturation with another person. I once read somewhere that if you are comfortable you are not growing. While most of us would love to stay in La La land with our sweethearts 24/7 that is just not possible and we would dare to say it just isn’t healthy either. We believe one of the greatest gifts of our most sacred relationship is its ability to help “grow us up” mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We are not supposed to stay the same. We are all supposed to evolve and the one we love more than anything yet gets on our last nerve at the same time is the perfect one to help us do it.! At the end of the day it’s really OK to “go through” before you say I DO.
HOW TO AVOID FALLING FOR A JERK OR JERKETTELearn to:
*Ask the right questions to inspire meaningful, revealing conversations with your partner.
*Judge character based on compatibility, relationship skills, friends, and patterns from family and previous relationships.
*Resolve your own emotional baggage so you’re ready for a healthy relationship.
Come out on August 28th at 4:30pm and meet your instructors and other singles determined to pick a partner who’s right for them. Experience a sample class, meet other singles, ask questions, and get details about Fall classes & groups.
ARTICLE: The very first time my husband and I decided to enroll in Marriage Education classes I was so clear that there were some “issues” he needed to work on and I was just waiting for his “Aha!” moment to come so he could let go of some of his baggage and stop working my nerves. Yup, that was my thinking— pretty arrogant, right? Well, as each week passed what became clearer and clearer to me was the fact that I might be a bit “touched” too meaning I had some bags I needed to put down myself. As a matter of fact I learned that I had a whole lot of baggage but I just didn’t realize it because I had been carrying it most of my life. So, I simply didn’t notice it. It was so much a part of me I couldn’t distinguish what part of me was the “real” me and what part was the “contrived” me, if you will.
You see, I believe we all have our real selves and our contrived selves. Our real selves are our most authentic and true selves. Our contrived selves are the person we’ve created (subconsciously most of the time) to show to the world and yes even to our spouses. So how might this look in our relationships? Check out VIDEO commentary: “Are You Keepin It Real?” .
Getting back to my original point…(ya’ll will soon learn—I can jump all around at times!), a real shift occurred in my mind, heart, and soul when I finally began to understand that the marriage God blessed me with, the relationship that I say is most important (after my relationship with The Most High) was not given to me for me to spend most of my time complaining about all of my spouse’s imperfections. Our relationships are not the place for us to let all of our stuff hang out with no regard for how that stuff is weighing us, our partner, and our relationship down. Our relationships are definitely not the place for us to revisit childhood and think that we should get everything our way. One of the biggest challenges I’ve noticed in doing work with couples is the difficulty we have with abandoning our individual agendas and moving towards what’s going to work best for the marriage. Typically, we’re so busy focusing on what our spouse is or isn’t doing that we don’t realize the part we play in perpetuating the problems we want to get rid of!
Marriage is one of the best places to grow and work on YOU if you’re up for it. Marriage is the place where 2 people can come together and pull and push eachother in love to be the best that God created them to be. Marriage is a place where one partner can model for the partner that just doesn’t seem to get it through your actions and not just your words. Marriage is a place where a brand new you can be born if we would just stop looking at our spouse, the next couple, and everywhere else outside of ourselves. Marriage can be a great place to work on SELF. Marriage is for grown folks!
Question: Why do you think people enter into marriage thinking it’s going to be nothing but a romantic cake walk?
VIDEO: We’ve heard the saying: “Insanity is DOING the same thing over and over again while expecting different results”. Insanity is also ACCEPTING the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Here, Ayize & Aiyana answer a young lady who asks if she should stay or leave her man because of his ongoing irresponsibility, disregard for her feelings, and lack of effort to move his family forward. When we recognize the shortcomings in our relationship….what do we do to change them? You can’t solve your current problems with the same thinking that created them. We have to be willing to look at the stone cold reality of our situation and then recognize and accept our role and responsibility in creating and even perpetuating that which we say we don’t want. If you want something different you’ve got to do something different. Bottom Line.
