Notice problems faster, & seek to fix them more effectively

When you’ve been in a long-term, committed relationship like a marriage, you can see repetitive problems with cornerstone issues like communication, intimacy, and time management coming a mile away. Often, solving relationship problems is like preventive medicine. It’s infinitely easier to notice warning signs and make lifestyle changes to prevent a heart attack or stroke than it is to stop it once it’s already happening.

Of the divorced men and women I interviewed, most of them sought this quality out in their next partner and had the perspective to understand why sometimes small, short-term discomforts are worthwhile if they save your relationship from long-term havoc.