Many people write us and admit they married for all the wrong reasons. Usually, they want us to give them a cheat, which will make everything right. That’s like Pinocchio wanting to become a real boy without doing the right things. Realists are people who face things honestly. Realists have the best chance of putting their lives in order. That doesn’t mean being a realist feels good all the time. Often, it feels rotten. But being a realist gives you the firm foundation upon which to build the rest of your life.

You were too much in love with your fiancé’s income, and too locked-in financially to heed the warnings of friends and family. You overrode your own inner warnings. Now you realize when a person has everything but love, they feel they have nothing.

When we make a mistake, even a serious one, we don’t have to dwell on it. We just need to correct it.