The Secret to Stronger Marriages and Better Parenting
In a world obsessed with productivity, many couples and parents find themselves stuck in cycles of doing more but achieving less. The harder they try, the more burned out, disconnected, and disappointed they feel. True fulfillment — in marriage, parenting, and life — isn’t about doing more. It’s about being more.
At Practice Makes Permanent, we use transcendence principles and neuroscience-backed strategies to help couples and parents reach their highest potential — not through grinding harder, but through smarter, lighter, more sustainable approaches to personal growth.
Here’s why transcendence and peak experiences can transform marriages and parenting, and how we can help you reclaim connection, purpose, and joy.
Why Transcendence Principles Improve Marriages and Parenting
Transcendence — rising above the self to connect to deeper meaning — is critical for thriving relationships.
Abraham Maslow (1964) described transcendence as the highest need: the drive to experience something greater than the self. In marriage and parenting, when individuals focus only on their immediate frustrations or daily tasks, they lose sight of the bigger picture — love, growth, legacy.
Peak experiences — moments of deep connection, fulfillment, and effortless joy — help couples and parents reconnect to what truly matters: compassion, purpose, and shared vision (Maslow, 1964; Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009).
By applying transcendence principles:
- Couples reignite emotional intimacy.
- Parents reconnect to their children’s emotional worlds.
- Families become more resilient and cohesive during challenges.
The Trap of the “Doing Obsession”
Modern life pushes couples and parents into a “doing obsession” — a constant pursuit of busyness without meaning.
We think more activities, more tasks, more goals will bring happiness — but instead it often leads to burnout, resentment, miscommunication, and emotional disconnection (Brown, 2019).
Doing more doesn’t automatically lead to being better. Without aligning actions to purpose and values, “doing” becomes a treadmill that leaves people exhausted and unfulfilled.
At Practice Makes Permanent, we help couples and parents step off the treadmill — and move toward purposeful action rooted in values, meaning, and deeper connection.
Implementation Intentions: A Pathway to Consistency and Success
When struggles arise in marriage or parenting, motivation alone isn’t enough.
Implementation intentions — specific “if-then” plans for behaviour — bridge the gap between goals and consistent action (Gollwitzer, 1999).
For example:
- “If I feel angry during an argument, then I will pause for 10 seconds before responding.”
- “If my child resists bedtime, then I will stay calm and repeat the bedtime routine without escalating.”
Research shows implementation intentions significantly increase goal achievement across multiple domains (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).
They help couples and parents stay calm, consistent, and compassionate — even during emotional storms.
At Practice Makes Permanent, we teach parents and couples how to create and practice implementation intentions that fit their real-world lives — leading to measurable improvements in their relationships and family dynamics.
A Lighter, Easier Approach to Transcendence
Transcendence is often misunderstood as something mystical, heavy, or unattainable. In truth, true transcendence feels light, joyful, and natural.
Peak experiences aren’t about forcing extraordinary moments — they emerge when people:
- Act with presence and mindfulness
- Stay anchored in values
- Practice curiosity, wonder, and openness
(Maslow, 1964; Seligman, 2011).
At Practice Makes Permanent, we guide couples and parents toward a lighter experience of transcendence — one that doesn’t add pressure, but instead relieves it, making growth and connection easier and more sustainable.
The Power of Choice: Why So Many Couples and Parents Struggle
One of the deepest sources of marital and parenting struggles is misalignment around choice.
People either forget they have choices or unconsciously abdicate them — leading to patterns of blame, powerlessness, and resentment.
- Couples fall into autopilot arguments without realizing they can choose new communication patterns.
- Parents repeat cycles of frustration without realizing they can choose different parenting frameworks.
(Vohs et al., 2008)
When people reclaim agency and intentional choice, relationships transform.
At Practice Makes Permanent, we help individuals and families recognize the choices they do have — empowering them to align actions with higher values, not just short-term emotions.
Why Our Services Matter
The sad truth is that many people are sold fake versions of transcendence — shallow techniques that promise everything but deliver little.
Without a grounded, neuroscience-based approach, people spin their wheels, growing more frustrated, disconnected, and vulnerable to separation or deep misalignment with their children.
Choosing Practice Makes Permanent saves couples and parents time, energy, and heartbreak.
Our programs are designed to:
- Create real, lasting change — not temporary highs.
- Build sustainable habits grounded in brain science and human potential theory.
- Reconnect people to meaning, joy, and love in their most important relationships.
You deserve more than survival. You deserve connection, purpose, and a family life that uplifts and energizes you.
Let us show you the path.
Contact us today at www.practicemakespermanent.com.au or call us on 02 4605 0646.
Don’t leave your most important relationships to chance — reach out now and build the marriage and family life you were meant to have.
References:
- Brown, B. (2019). Dare to Lead. Random House.
- Gollwitzer, P.M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.
- Gollwitzer, P.M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.
- Maslow, A.H. (1964). Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences. Ohio State University Press.
- Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). Flow theory and research. In Handbook of Positive Psychology (2nd ed.).
- Seligman, M.E.P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Free Press.
- Vohs, K.D., Baumeister, R.F., Schmeichel, B.J., Twenge, J.M., Nelson, N.M., & Tice, D.M. (2008). Making choices impairs subsequent self-control: A limited-resource account of decision making, self-regulation, and active initiative. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(5), 883–898.