Intensive Advice for Couples by Smalley

A new series on personality styles, and in this episode learn about The Lion and what it takes if you are one, married to one, or have one as a kid. If you need to take the personality test to find out who you really are, click here. Relational Strengths: Takes charge. 
Problem solver.
 Competitive. 
Enjoys change.
 Confrontational. Strengths Out of Balance: Too direct or impatient.
 Too busy. 
Cold blooded.
 Impulsive or takes big risks. 
Insensitive to others. Communication Style: Direct or blunt. 
One-way. 
Weakness: Not as good a listener. Relational Needs: Personal attention & recognition for what they do.
 Areas where he or she can be in charge.
 Opportunity to solve problems.
 Freedom to change. 
Challenging activities. Relational Balance: Add softness.
 Become a great listener. And by the way, if you haven’t left a review yet in iTunes, don’t be shy, it’s easy to do and it really lets me know you’re listening (and other’s too). FEATURED RESOURCE BUY NOW ARTIST HIGHLIGHT FOURTEEN40 – Lucky Number 13 – Click here to view on iTunes (transcript of the show) Announcer: Coming to you from the heart of Texas where he met his one and only true love. Proving that this guy really does know how to love well because there’s no way he won her over with his looks. Therefore, he must be the relationship genius of our generation. Get ready for the best advice you will ever hear on how to keep your relationship thriving. Welcome to the Smalley podcast with your host Michael Smalley. Michael: Do you have any idea what the most popular page is on smalleycenter.com? Do you have any idea at all? You probably shouldn’t because if you did have some kind of idea, that might mean you have hacked into my back end system and you are stealing things from me and shame on you for doing it. But for those of you listening who are not corrupt evil hackers, the most by far – we’re talking the most popular page on my site, is the page that has the personality inventory or test that you can download and take by far. Everybody wants to come to our website in order to better understand themselves, better understand their spouse or their children and so they go to the personality page. They download the PDF and they take the test. So I think it is high time that I give you a series of shows focusing just on your personality style. Now, if you haven't been to the site, just go to smalleycenter.com. Go. You’ll see it right on the homepage. There’s a direct link to the personality test. You can download the thing for free and then you can just fill it out. It’s very easy. It takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes to take. But what I wanna do is I wanna focus on some of the key ingredients to personality styles, how you interact with each other, what that means, why you even wanna know what personality style your spouse has. I wanna do all of this in a series of shows just on personality styles and how they affect your marriage, dating, parenting and you can even take our personality test, the world famous lion, otter, golden retriever and beaver. You can take that for free and be able to follow along as I unpack each of the major characteristic traits like the lion, the otter, the golden retriever or the beaver. I’m gonna dedicate this show to each one of those but then I’m also gonna give some follow up stuff on marriage and even on parenting. That is what’s coming on. So again, go to smalleycenter.com. If you have not taken the personality test it’s based off a disc. The DISC test. We just give it a better more creative twist in terms of the different descriptors or the words we use. So we obviously went with animals. My father, Dr. Gary Smalley and his old longtime partner John Trent wrote the book Two Sides of Love and that’s where these animal names came from. I’m telling you it’s as fun. It makes it easier to understand coz who in the world knows what phlegmatic is or melancholy.

Exactly how important does Jesus feel forgiveness is for your relationship? Find out with this Smalley Short!

Are online dating sites the wrong approach for a Christian single? This is a good question, and it shows that you are trying to be purposeful in your dating approach. Let me be perfectly clear, online dating sites do not make me nervous. They can be a great way to meet wonderful people. Like anything in life, could it end up being disastrous, sure, nothing is perfect. Make sure you do your part in protecting yourself to the best of your ability by only joining reputable dating sites. I like sites that do background checks and other security measures to protect its members. And stay away from meat-market sites, gravitate toward matching sites that guide you in the right direction. This has been a Smalley Short, brought to you by smalleycenter.com. Find out why 96% of former couples would recommend our program to a couple in crisis.

Hi, I’m Michael Smalley, and this is 60 seconds of inspiration for your relationship. I’m often asked what the most important thing is a single should look for in a future spouse. My answer is more than likely hardly satisfying, but it’s true, and based on over 17-years of working with couples. That is up to you! I tell them. There are many important things you need to look for in a future spouse. Important things like faith, family, personality, future goals, parenting style, etc. But out of these areas, what is the most important to you? What’s the deal breaker for you? If you don’t know the answer to this question, then you’re at risk to meeting and marrying the wrong person. This has been a Smalley Short, and was brought to you by smalleycenter.com. Find out why 96% of former couples would recommend our program to a couple in crisis.

Hi, I’m Michael Smalley, for smalleycenter.com. Dating doesn’t have to be miserable. Too many singles today get frustrated because they become desperate to find the “perfect” person to marry. But here’s a little, unknown secret. You’ll never find the perfect person. In fact, you can never find the right person because of a little problem called sin! No matter who you find, where you meet them, when you meet them, what family they come from, how long they’ve been a Christian, no matter the circumstances, whoever you meet will always have a problem with sin. So don’t be focused on perfection, but instead, be focused on Christ. The rest will work itself out. This has been a Smalley Short, and was brought to you by smalleycenter.com. Find out why 96% of former couples would recommend our program to a couple in crisis.

Hi, I’m Michael Smalley, and this is 60 seconds of inspiration for your relationship. Have you asked your kids how you’re doing lately as a parent? Now pick your jaw up off the floor and give me a few more seconds to convince you why this is an important question to ask your children. You are not perfect, which means your parenting will not be perfect, which means your kids will have issues with some of the things you do from time to time. An incredible gift you can give your kids is the gift of freedom from bitterness. When you ask them, “how am I doing as a parent?” You are giving them an opportunity to share anything that is bothering them. Receive it, ask forgiveness, and then let them know that you love them and are committed to them for life! This has been a Smalley Short, find more at smalleypodcast.com.

Hi, I’m Michael Smalley, and this is 60 seconds of inspiration for your relationship. Starting a conversation with your spouse can be difficult, especially when you’re feelings are hurt. Your hands get sweaty, your mouth dries up, and usually, like most couples, you abandon the idea entirely. But you don’t have to! Ask God to give you the right attitude and timing on when to talk with your spouse. And by the way, the right time is never during fun time or family outings. When the moment finally arrives, a humble spirit is the best option. You can say, “Would it be okay if I shared something with you?” The reason you ask, is because you always want permission when potentially confronting an adult. If she says no, then you know the time is not right, and choose to wait in God’s patience. This has been a Smalley Short, find more at smalleypodcast.com.