In Janeen Diamond’s blog post “Warning: Work Ahead,” she outlines three important tips to have a successful and happy marriage.

1.Trust: Janeen breaks this down to a simple fact — to be trusted, you must be trustworthy.

2.Thoughtfulness: This one is easy to forget if you’ve been married for a long time. It’s important to not “let this one slide.”

3. Affection: Nothing beats being truly affectionate with each other.

If you are asking yourself, “Why does marriage have to be so hard?” Read on.