Last night as I was watching Monday Night Football, I was again reminded of the brevity of life and the importance of prioritizing relationships.

Twenty-four-year-old Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the first quarter. Hamlin made a hit, he got up, took a couple of steps, and then just fell to the ground. He suffered from cardiac arrest. The Monday night football game was postponed, and as of this morning, Hamlin is in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition. Please keep Damar, his family, his teammates, and everyone impacted by this sudden tragedy in your prayers.

This series of events really has me thinking. I have officiated over 200 weddings in the past thirty years. Imagine if I were to approach the bride or groom on the day of their wedding and ask the ridiculous question, “Do you think you are going to have an average marriage?” How do you think couples would respond? They would probably say, “You are an idiot Rispoli. Why would you ask such a ridiculous question? We are not going to have an average marriage; we are going to have a phenomenal marriage.” 100% of the couples that I marry believe that their marriage is going to be phenomenal. You probably did as well. When you got married, you did not marry thinking you were going to have an average marriage, you got married believing your marriage would be phenomenal.

The dictionary defines the word phenomenal as very remarkable, amazing, and extraordinary. I love this word because it captures the essence of what we all want for our marriages. Unfortunately, far too many couples settle for average. We lull ourselves into believing that there will be time to make it phenomenal later. It will be phenomenal after we have children. It will be phenomenal when we get our first home. It will be phenomenal when we sort out our money challenges. It will be phenomenal after our kids are raised. So, in the short term, we settle for average.

The good news is that you don’t have to settle for average. Like a renegade you can abandon the pack, you can abandon average, and you can start to create a Renegade Marriage. A Renegade Marriage is a marriage that abandons average in pursuit of phenomenal. It starts with a decision to want more and to commit to making your marriage your number one priority.

There has never been a better time to make the decision than today. As we launch into 2023, I am doubling down on helping people create Renegade Marriages. It starts with a decision. Make 2023 the year you abandon average in pursuit of phenomenal. Let me know below if you are committed to creating a phenomenal marriage in 2023. I promise you; you won’t regret making your marriage your number-one priority in 2023. And please keep Damar in your prayers.