When it comes to superheroes in comic books, Superman is the gold standard. Not only does he possess incredible skills like flying, laser vision, and ice breath, but he is also brave, caring, and unselfish. He’s practically unstoppable due to his superhuman strength. His Achilles’ heel, though, is not an invulnerability. The planet Krypton is the source of the green crystal-like element known as kryptonite, which is owned by Superman. On the contrary, it releases dangerous radiation that might slowly sap his strength or perhaps kill him, rather of serving as a comforting remembrance of home. Avoiding the substance is the wisest course of action for Superman.
Imagine a husband who is superhuman. We should all take pride in our unique set of talents and abilities, on the one hand. However, there are other characteristics that we seem to gravitate toward, and these might cause problems in our partnerships. The more at ease we become with these characteristics, the more they impede our capacity to be decent husbands, like kryptonite. Here are five characteristics of a lousy husband that we should try to avoid.
1. Ambition
The drive to excel in one’s career is a powerful force for many guys. When our hard work pays off, when people acknowledge our efforts, and when promotions and pay hikes materialize, it’s a great feeling. Unfortunately, our professional ambitions can become our Achilles’ heel if we let them control us to the point where they eat up all of our leisure time and alienate us from our loved ones. If we want to avoid being this kind of lousy husband, we need to love our wives just as much, if not more, than we love our jobs.
2. Complacency
One of the quiet killers of marriage is complacency. When you’re not motivated, you’re complacent. We become complacent in our marriages and cease doing the things that strengthen them, rather than pouring our hearts into them and striving to love our wives more deeply every day. This could manifest in a number of ways: a lack of intentional time spent together, an indifference to all forms of physical contact, or even just forgetting to see how she is doing throughout the day. We can overcome this negative characteristic of husbands by checking in with ourselves on a regular basis to see how we’re doing and by making a conscious effort to do small things for our spouses every day out of love.
3. Distractions
Distractions abound in our world, whether they are advertisements or constant messages. We allow ourselves to be consumed by distractions when we refuse to let go of our phones, when we read endless articles about our favorite sports teams, or when we play video games late into the night instead of retiring to bed with our wives. One of the more understated characteristics of an unfaithful husband is that he is easily sidetracked from what really matters. One way to combat distraction is to set aside regular, quality time for our women, away from phones, computers, and even their favorite sports teams.
4. Wandering Eyes
The idea of cheating on one’s wife is unfathomable to the majority of us, yet it occurs all too frequently. We should have avoided making these easy concessions in the beginning, but they lead to adultery in marriage. A poor husband attribute that can damage or perhaps ruin a marriage is when he starts seeking closeness from women other than his wife or when he compares his wife to other women. To stay with the woman we love, we must be forthright, honest, and watchful anytime that path becomes enticing.
5. Pride
To make up for his poor self-esteem, a proud man will frequently place himself on a pedestal. His perception of those around him may diminish as a result. No self-respecting husband will ever acknowledge his own frailties or shortcomings. Pride makes it easy to ignore the ways in which marriage challenges us to grow as men. We can also separate from our wives. Humility is a remedy for arrogance. Humble people don’t always cast themselves down, which is a common misunderstanding. However, as we are well aware, genuine humility is not a lack of self-confidence so much as an excess of self-confidence.