The most common reason I find for a marriage failing is that one or both stop valuing the family over themselves.
Speaking from personal experience here.
We were on the brink. We went to counseling. One of the exercises was to write out the top five things that you valued in your marriage—what you were willing to work for.
We did them apart and brought them to the next meeting.
All five were the same. We had the order of #4 and #5 switched.
I got goose bumps and teary eyes. The counselor said that the score was usually three out of five. Almost never five for five.
After that moment everything started getting better.
We get so busy and drawn apart. The grass starts looking better EVERYWHERE else. But, I doubt I was ever going to find anyone who could give me, or me them, 5 out of 5.
bingo!
Easily summed up in the fact that ‘you can never make another person do what they are supposed to do’, and that is clearly seen in divorces where infidelity, laziness, financial ruin and just plain selfishness is obvious.