Matthew McConaughey has shared some unexpected advice on relationships.
In the realm of relationship guidance, it often feels like there’s a fresh theory daily on making a partnership successful.
Fundamentals such as communication, understanding, and spending quality time with each other can significantly enhance a relationship, even before exploring various theories.
McConaughey, 56, met his wife, Camila Alves, 42, at a Los Angeles nightclub back in 2006.
“She showed up, and she moved right to left in front of my eyes across that club,” he previously told People. “It was as if she was floating. And I did not say, ‘Who is that?’ I said, ‘What is that?’ And then introduced myself. Since that evening, I have not wanted to spend time with any other woman.”
The couple had two children before they got married in 2012, and their third child arrived later that same year.
In a recent discussion on the Jay Shetty podcast, the Interstellar actor, who had previously shared a ‘bedroom secret’ that sustained his marriage, offered some unexpected relationship counsel.
“I think one of the biggest mistakes that I know I could make is taking it for granted,” McConaughey mentioned to the host.
“You vow to love each other in marriage, for instance, through sickness and in health, until the death.”
The actor elaborated: “To take that for granted sometimes and not do the maintenance, which shouldn’t feel like work but it’s conscious, it can take work, it can be a thought and a choice you make.”
McConaughey emphasized that a simple daily gesture, like making your partner coffee, can significantly contribute to maintaining a relationship.
He remarked: “If I don’t do it’s not gonna be missed.”
So, what is the unexpected advice?
It relates to the intensity of a relationship. If you’re in it for the long haul, maintaining high intensity might not be ideal.
He discussed how individuals might idolize each other when they believe they’ve found ‘the one’, saying: “Oh s**t, don’t do that to me, and don’t let me do that to you, I can’t live up to that, you can’t live up to that.”
McConaughey continued: “If you try to hold onto that 100 watt bulb to be the light all the time, you’re Wonderwoman, I’m Superman, it seems to me humanly impractical to live up to it and unfair to each other.”
He recounted advice from a preacher he once encountered, who said, ‘love’s more like, it’s a 30 watt bulb’.
He clarified: “Dim the light a little bit. It’ll last longer, it’ll illuminate longer, not as bright, but it’ll last longer, it’s more realistic for you and her, it’s more human, and it’s still lovely.”