Happiness truly comes from within.

In order to develop a marriage filled with joy and happiness, you have to work at finding that joy within yourself first. How can you create a happy marriage if you don’t start with yourself?

The trick to having a successful, joyful marriage is to be continually working on your character and strength as a person. Once you find that inner strength and peace, you’re more capable of creating a harmonious marriage. With that said, here are seven steps to a happier you and a happier marriage:

Don’t exercise to be skinny. Exercise to be healthy and to feel good about yourself overall. You benefit emotionally , mentally, and physically when you take the time to exercise.

Eating healthy goes hand in hand with exercising. There’s something about eating fresh fruits and veggies and cutting back on the junk food that helps you feel so much better about yourself.

It’s no secret that tired people tend to be cranky people. Do yourself and your spouse a favor by getting enough rest so that you have energy and optimism to take on the day.

When you refuse to forgive, you’re only hurting yourself. Let go of the bitterness that past mistakes have caused you and move on. You will find healing and hope.

It’s important to have fun. Stop taking life so seriously for a few hours and just do something spontaneous. It will help you put things into perspective.

Don’t feel like you have to do everything, and don’t be so controlling. Let your spouse help you with chores, or ask him or her nicely to help if it’s not offered. Evenly splitting up chores will help you feel less resentful when you end up taking on all the responsibilities.

Going to a marriage retreat will not only give you time away from your stresses and responsibilities, it will give you time to focus on your relationship.

When searching for a marriage retreat, make sure you find one that has the three key factors of the best marriage retreats. You want your relationship to grow and strengthen as a result of attending such a retreat.

If you’re interested in attending a marriage retreat, book one with LIFE Marriage Retreats. When you visit their Facebook page, you’ll learn why LIFE Marriage Retreats are successful.

You can contact them today by calling (877) 376-7127 or by visiting lifemarriageretreats.com. It’s worth it to make this investment in your marriage.