Let me tell you how to save a marriage in crisis. It starts with recognizing the difference between horrible advice and great ideas. Avoiding common misconceptions about saving a marriage might be the difference between strengthening your marriage and ending up with an ugly date in a divorce court. Here are three common errors people with troubled marriages often make. Avoid them, and you'll be in a very good position to save your marriage.

Mistake: Hoping and Waiting vs. Deciding and Doing

This is one of the simplest concepts, but it's also where so many mistakes happen. People mistakenly believe that things will work themselves out or that a little wishful thinking and the passage of time will cure their marriage's ills. It doesn't work that way, though. You must decide to take action to save your marriage. Actually doing something gives you a very good chance. Waiting for a miracle? It rarely works.

Mistake: Dragging Him or Her Along

Conventional wisdom maintains that couples must work together in order to discover how to save a marriage in crisis. As is so often the case, however, conventional wisdom is wrong. Dead wrong. Let's look at one premiere example of teamwork--marriage counseling. Did you know that only 20% of couples who participate are able to avoid divorce? Yikes! On the other hand, an expert who claims one person, through proper action, can save a marriage has experienced a 90% success rate with his clients. Believing that it takes two to get it done seems like a massive blunder, doesn't it?

Mistake: Believing in Cookie Cutter Solutions

Here's a goof that probably kills thousands of marriages. People think they can follow the same pattern others have followed to save their own marriage. It's as if they think all marriages are alike! Let me tell you, they aren't. However, there are common traits. The smartest thing you can do is adopt an expert-created plan that recognizes commonalities between troubled marriages while not treating every single relationship identically.

If you want to really know how to save a marriage in crisis, the critical first step is avoiding these common errors. Once you realize these common pitfalls, you can take the actions necessary to save your marriage.