Marriage is a big commitment and one truly needs to be ready for it, instead of jumping in impulsively. That being said, there comes a time in most of our lives when we know that we are ready for the matrimonial bond, although it may come at different points of time for different people.
The tricky part is that even when that time is here and you feel it inside of you, very few people in the world are absolutely free of doubt regarding the decision! To help you figure out whether the time is right for you to get married, here is a list of five signs, collected from brides who have been in similar situations at one point of time in their lives.
You Two have Been in Love with Each Other for Years
A somewhat disturbing, but true fact about relationships is that sometimes, the love in between the couple fades away with time. However, if you two are able to withstand this test of time for years now, and you do not feel that the passion has faded away, it might be time to say yes when he finally pops that question.
You are Happy Right Now in the Relationship
It is important for a person to be happy in their current relationship, in order to even think about marriage. In spite of what some may have you think, it is imperative that you are happy in the relationship because the other person makes you feel good.
It is a common belief and mantra spread by a lot of experts that two people who are perfectly happy by themselves, are ready to tie the knot. This gives rise to the question, if they are perfectly happy and content with each other, why should the other person matter as much as to get married to? What would stop one from leaving the other, if a new attraction pops up in the scene?
A more logical and practical way to determine happiness in a relationship is when you are happy in the relationship and the other person has a lot to do with it. Without there being emotional attachment and dependence on each other, a bond cannot exist that is strong enough to keep them together for life.
Your Career is in a Good Position
Now, the financial aspect of marriage isn’t one that can be ignored under any circumstances, because the responsibilities everyone always talks about, also involves providing a steady flow of income to sustain the home that you two are trying to build together. Also, there’s the question of how many hours you work and the kind of job that you do.
Let’s take for example, the working hours of a fulltime nurse, which can be absolutely crazy. Due to a shortage of nursing staff in the US, a qualified nurse would never really have to be unemployed unless she wants to be! But being employed in a busy hospital could also mean crazy hours, double shifts and handling a lot of excess workload.
If you are indeed a nurse, you should first make sure that you have the time necessary to sustain a new marriage. This is of course easier said than done, but there is a way for even nurses to both promote their careers and be in a position to find enough time for starting their own family.
Check out this Baylor Online DNP in Leadership course which could land you a job as a decision maker in the healthcare industry. The Baylor Online DNP in Leadership program is designed only for experienced nurses though, but the good news is that the entire course can be completed from your home. This would mean that you will not have to give up on the job experience either, and by the time you have finished the program and taken up a leadership position in a healthcare facility, you will be in the financial position to sustain the economic strains of starting a family quite easily.
You are Not Searching Anymore
People can be together for years, look happy from the outside and yet, they could be consciously or subconsciously searching for someone else.
Do a bit of soul searching and find out if you are looking for someone else. If the answer is no, and the idea of being with anyone else doesn’t excite you, you are likely ready for the commitment.
On the other hand, if the idea of dating someone else makes you feel excited but extremely guilty, marriage is certainly not the right option for you two at the moment. Not that you should immediately end the relationship either, but when the yearning is not there for each other anymore, and the only thing keeping you together is guilt, it’s not going to be a happy marriage.
Your Potential Fiancé has a Reliable History
Being ready for marriage is not the same thing as being ready to get married to your current partner. The psychological, physical and financial aspects of you as a modern woman might be perfect to consider matrimony seriously, and yet, you may not be ready to marry your immediate boyfriend.
One of the reasons why that might indeed be the confusing and difficult situation, involves what we mentioned already about not being content inside, and still looking for someone else. However, the reliability and history of the partner also plays a role here.
Is he reliable enough to be trusted on to handle the big responsibilities that come with marriage? You have been his girlfriend for a while (hopefully!), so you probably already know the answer to that question. People seldom change, and if he has shown signs of infidelity, dangerous irresponsibility, violent and abusive tendencies, etc. it’s not someone you would want to spend the rest of your life with!
Now that we have gone through some of the most essential signs that will let you know whether it’s time to proudly sport that wedding ring or not, you probably have at least some direction. If the confusions are still there, wait a bit longer till things feel more natural, rather than rushing into it.
