One of the questions I'm most often asked is if I get sick of working with JD. My answer is always no. And JD's answer? Well, his fluctuates minute to minute. And if you know us personally, you know I ain't lying! I am one of the most annoying, outspoken, driven, type-a, OCD, perfectionist, and singer you will meet. Yes, I sing. While being annoying. And outspoken. And all of the above.
Ever heard a girl sing Aretha Franklin while scrubbing the bathroom tiles with a toothbrush? Come to my house and you'll be in for a real treat.
Let me just say we have far, far from a perfect marriage, but I will say we work very hard at making things work. At the core of everything, we choose love. We choose to love when we're frustrated…choose to love when we're angry…choose to love even when it's the last thing we want. And working together adds another component many people don't have to deal with, but we always adhere to keeping things in order: God, family, work.
Here are the Top Three Tips I suggest when asked how to make things work, when working with a spouse…
1. Keep regularly scheduled dates. Just yesterday JD and I decided to have a lunch date because life got hairy (i.e. I was barking at the moon) and we needed time to just talk and get refocused. Open and frequent communication is the cornerstone to a healthy working relationship…and a nice meal is always an added bonus!
2. Turn off. Yes, like turn everything off. Cell phones, computers, your brain. Sometimes I find myself so caught up with technology I want to tell people I'm living my life, instead of actually living it. I need to make a concerted effort to simply focus on the moment and relish real-life connectivity.
3. Never speak when angry. Oh, yeah. I just went THERE. Nothing will be accomplished when one or both parties are upset, and next thing you know you're talking about his mamma…and, well, that's never good. When you work with a spouse you're bound to disagree, but taking a few minutes (or hours) to rethink the situation and possibly see it from his/her perspective can really make for a productive environment.
I hope this creates open dialogue in our industry and if you have extra tips, I'd love to hear them! I'll make a list of all the good ones and make sure JD memorizes them…because, ya know, he's the one who's always WRONG. 😉
