Kevin O’Leary: Forget About Divorce and Fall in Love All Over Again
Kevin O’Leary, aka “Mr. Wonderful,” the Canadian businessman and television personality best known for starring on Shark Tank, has some battle-tested marriage advice for anyone considering a divorce.
“Why don’t you just fall in love with your wife or husband all over again and forget about it?”
Married to Linda since 1990, the O’Leary’s 35-year union, which has had its share of challenges, has produced two children, Trevor and Savannah.
“We’ve been married a long time, and I always tell people it’s not a destination, marriage is a journey — and I think you have to have a lot of respect for your spouse … no question,” Kevin once shared.
Ever frugal, the couple married at home and served pizza and beer to guests.
“We saved a fortune,” he recalled. “I was able to put it [the savings] in my business to start growing it.”
O’Leary was interviewed on Fox and Friends this past weekend where he shared talking with divorce lawyers while researching a new book.
“I thought infidelity was the reason people got divorced,” he shared. ‘Most marriages end after five years – fifty percent of them – and it turns out it has nothing to do with infidelity. It has everything to do with financial stress.”
He added, “When one partner outspends the other, that’s why you get divorced.”
To be sure, O’Leary is oversimplifying to make a make a point. People get divorced for all kinds of reasons. In addition to infidelity and financial woes, marriages fall apart because of selfishness, domestic abuse, poor communication, and a lack of sexual intimacy.
Sometimes it’s one of those and other times it’s all of those.
Kevin O’Leary is approaching this debate from a secular and even practical point of view. During his conversation with the Fox News hosts, he likened marriage to a business partnership. He noted that divorce will divide assets and force parties to start all over again. The famed investor went on to suggest it makes more sense to work things out rather than begin anew.
“The most important thing I’ve learned from my marriage, is just get married once,” he recently shared. “You make the assumption the grass is greener on the other side, that’s never the case. I have lots of friends who have been divorced three or four times, and they’re not any happier than I am. You want to build a family, you want to keep it together, you want to focus on those relationships.”
Of course, as Christians, we don’t see marriage as transactional, but a sacred covenant created by God and designed to model and demonstrate the love Christ has for all His people.
Yet, whatever the motivation, Kevin O’Leary’s conclusion about how to deal with a troubled marriage points in the right direction. His instincts are to try and heal it rather than abandon the commitment and try again. That’s not to say there aren’t biblical reasons to divorce, but when other issues irritate and threaten to separate, it’s the wise man or woman who aims to fall in love with their spouse all over again.
Focus on the Family’s Hope Restored ministry is designed to help couples heal longtime hurts and get to a place where love can be rekindled and reignited. The success rate is north of eighty percent. Our retreat centers are located in Missouri, Michigan, Georgia and Texas. Another center will soon be open in Arizona.
If you or someone you know if facing a marital crisis, please know we’re here to help.
