I’ve been doing some radio interviews with the launch of the book and several people have commented that it seems like Joe and I have the perfect marriage.  I’m not sure there is such a thing!

We’ve been through a lot during the 14 years we’ve been married, some good, some bad - just like everyone else.  We’ve had moments where we didn’t like each other very much and our paths diverged temporarily.  But I would say mostly, we’ve had great experiences and have grown together.

Those comments got me thinking and yes, we do have a great marriage and I’m so grateful for it but it certainly isn’t perfect.  It’s work.  I think if we’re kidding ourselves to say  that marriage isn’t.  It takes dedication and commitment to communicating and giving the other person space to be fully who they are.  One of the things that has worked well for us is that we allow each other to be individuals who share a life with a common vision for what we’re creating together as a couple.

When we graduated from college, our ideas of success were fairly limited to what society taught us - get a job, move up the corporate ladder, etc. etc. and we pursued that with vigor.  Now, we’ve redefined success and what that means for each of us together and separately.  It’s a very different definition than it was 14 years ago! Today, we’re more focused on creating value and having an impact, having great experiences and living life to the fullest.

The fact that we traveled around the country together to interview people for this book and wrote the book together is tremendous.  It was a wonderful experience for both of us.  We did have some tense moments on the road, but we set some ground rules before we left that made a big difference.  We said that if one of us was having a “moment” the other person would allow them the space to have “their moment” without adding to it.  A very simple but powerful thing.  We’ve carried that over to our normal life at home and it’s pretty powerful.

I actually think that’s a good rule to live by with anyone in your life!