Today’s success tip comes from Dr John Gray.

Author of Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus, Dr John Gray is one of the most sought-after international media identities and celebrities. John established Mars Venus Coaching, which has grown into a multimillion-dollar global franchise.

What is something you can do on a daily basis to improve the quality of your relationship?

There are so many things all of us can do every day, no matter how happy or unhappy our relationship is. If I were to pick out one key thing for men and one key thing for women to do on a daily basis to improve their relationships, it would be:

Men - listen! You don’t have to offer solutions to your partner’s troubles or worries - you just have to listen. When women are stressed or upset, the way they deal with it is to talk. They need to verbalise how they are feeling and they simply want their partner to validate their concerns by listening. Men often feel compelled to find a solution to their partner’s woes to ‘prove’ themselves, but this is not what a woman wants. A simple listening ear is all she is asking of you most of the time. So, listen up!

Women - give your partner the space he needs. When men are stressed or upset they don’t want to talk it over. The first thing a man wants to do is retreat into his ‘cave’. By this he’s saying he needs some time and space to himself - physically, mentally or emotionally - to work out in his mind what is bothering him. This process may take 15 minutes reading the paper after he comes home from work, or it may take a weekend spent in the shed working on a project. Whatever it is, women need to try and respect his need for space and wait for him to come to them to talk things over after he returns from his cave.

Another way to improve a relationship is to attend a relationship seminar or enlist the help of a relationship or life coach. While these things may seem like something you would do only if your relationship was an unhappy one, they can also benefit couples in happy relationships.

The new understanding and appreciation of the opposite sex that people get from attending a workshop with one of my coaches makes a huge difference to their relationships. Even those who thought they knew their partner well and were happy together report major changes in how they communicate and how satisfying their relationship becomes after gaining these insights.