Allow me to tell you how to save a marriage in trouble. It starts with recognizing the difference between horrible advice and great ideas.

Avoiding common misconceptions about saving a marriage might be the difference between strengthening your marriage and ending up with an ugly date in a divorce court.

Here are three normal errors individuals with troubled marriages normally make. Avoid them, and you’ll be in a very good position to save your marriage.

Mistake: Hoping and Waiting vs. Deciding and Doing

This is one of the simplest concepts, but it is also where a lot of errors occur. People mistakenly believe that things will work themselves out or that a little wishful thinking and the passage of time will cure their marriage’s ills.

It doesn’t work that way, though. You have to make the decision to take action to rescue your marriage. Actually doing something gives you a very good chance. Waiting for a miracle? It rarely works.

Mistake: Dragging Him or Her Along

Traditional wisdom maintains that married couples need to work with one another in order to learn how to rescue a troubled marriage. As is so often the case, however, conventional wisdom is wrong. Dead wrong. Let’s look at one premiere example of teamwork–marriage counseling.

Did you realize that just 20% of married couples who participate are able to stay away from divorce? Yikes! On the other hand, an expert who claims one person, through proper action, can save a marriage has experienced a 90% success rate with his clients. Believing that it takes two to get it done seems like a massive blunder, doesn’t it?

Mistake: Believing in Cookie Cutter Solutions

Here is a goof that most likely ruins many marriages. People think they can follow the same pattern others have followed to save their own marriage. It’s as if they think all marriages are alike! Let me tell you, they aren’t. However, there are common traits.

The smartest thing you can do is adopt an expert-created plan that recognizes commonalities between troubled marriages while not treating every single relationship identically.

If you truly want to find out how to rescue a troubled marriage, the key first step is avoiding these common errors. As soon as you notice common pitfalls, you may take the necessary actions needed to rescue your marriage.