Just Do It!

This past weekend I attended an amazing fundraising gala for International Justice Mission (IJM), one of the most effective human’s rights organizations in the world. They have been and remain on the frontlines of fighting injustice around the world, and especially in the area of human trafficking.

One of my closest girlfriends, and a founding member of this Club, works for IJM. She introduced me to one of her colleagues, a lovely and beautiful woman from South Africa (with a fabulous accent). She and I’d been previously introduced via email but had never met face-to-face. The moment I met her I knew she had such a wonderful and loving spirit. I’m drawn to people like that so I can spot them a mile away.

Within the first minute of meeting me, after joking with my friend about the difference in the way she pronounces “Fawn” versus my girlfriend (I must admit, I prefer the way my name sounds with a South African accent), my new South African friend took me by the hands, looked in my eyes and said, “Honey, I love your blog. I love what you’re doing. But, I must say,” she began in that fabulous accent of hers, “you don’t have kids, do you?”

I knew where she was going with this because I’ve had this happen so many times. When Keith and I were first married (and visibly in love) we’d have people tell us that wouldn’t last beyond the newlywed years. Then when I left the restaurant business to work in a slightly more sane industry, I took a few months off. During that time I was helping one of my relatives in her marriage and was informed the reason Keith and I were so happy was I wasn’t working. Forget that I’ve been working non-stop since I was 18 years old and more often than not for 14+ hours per day.

Now, we’ve been married for a decade next year, we both work 70+ hours per week, my in-laws (who I adore) moved in with us several years ago and yet we’re more in love today than on our wedding day.

We made a choice. If you’ve read this blog for some time, you know that choice was to wake up each morning and no matter what life throws our way, we determined to choose to be happy in our marriage. It was the best piece of marriage advice I’ve ever received and so I share it with you as often as possible. If everything around us is crazy, we’ll deal with it. We will not allow that to impact the joy we feel in our relationship or the love we have for one another.

It is not because we don’t desire children that we do not have them. And I know many women who are miserable because they too have had a tough time getting their egg and their hubby’s little swimmers to intimately meet. I know women who would shoot themselves rather than have their in-laws come visit, let alone invite them to live in the same home. I know marriages who could not survive the hectic work weeks Keith and I have come to know over the years (thank God for the Sabbath…our sanity).

The happiness in our marriage is not because we don’t have children. It’s because we’ve made a choice. And we make the same choice daily. No matter what life throws our way, I am confident as long as this mindset does not change, we will continue to live a life of happiness. What about you? Have you made that choice? It’s in your power to do so. As the Nike motto goes, “Just Do It.”

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

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Fawn Weaver

Founder at Happy Wives Club

Fawn Weaver is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage, adopting the same name as the Club she founded in 2010. The Happy Wives Club community has grown to include more than 1 million women in over 110 countries around the world. She’s an investor in real estate, tech sector and lifestyle brands. When she’s not writing or working, she's happily doting over her husband of twelve years, Keith (and sometimes manages to do all three simultaneously).