Leadership is best shown in attitude, not in words

Success comes naturally...

There's no point in doing things we don't really love to do, even if we get paid for it... Success only comes naturally if we are happy in what we do.

CHAT, a Secret to a Marriage that Clicks

We are the wackiest couple, as written in the Guinness Book of Weh!cords

There is no formula in finding real love, but, I believe there's an equation to maintain a great relationship. No marriage is perfect, but, we can have an 'ideally perfect' one if we would WANT to.

I've been asked several times, how we maintain a happy and healthy relationship, and why our tandem "clicks". They say our photos on Facebook speak loudly about it, naturally.  Wacky!

Our love story is an open book (search "memorable mistake" on Google). We met through CHAT, and we will forever gonna use C.H.A.T. to maintain this "partnership that clicks." C.H.A.T. are the 4 key ingredients that work best for an Ion-Raqz recipe:

C - CONSISTENCY
Be consistent. Time may change your character, but never change your attitude towards your partner. Do the same things that you do for each other from the day you met. Always do the things your partner liked in you when she started to love you. If you're giving her flowers before, don't stop. If you're calling/texting 10 times a day, continue. These efforts are not baits that after we got what we wanted, we stop. If you are fond of talking to each other, telling stories, it must be maintained. Marriage works if an open communication is consistent.  Both of you talk and listen. Most of the problems in relationships often root to not being consistent. Be consistent but add a twist.

H - HUMOR
For me, humor is the highest form of maintenance in a relationship. If you always find humor in everything you do, things will be easier - you're on a good ride! I can't imagine a day in our lives not laughing. From day 1, we have live a life of being young at heart. We find it easy to laugh at the same things.  TAWA TALAGA! We're always clowning at each other, we play pranks at each other.  They say we are both naturally gifted with a surprising sense of humor,  that's our advantage. In times of problems, we try not to dwell too much on them but we try to find reasons to still smile til we just laugh at it. Humor is healthy. The absence of humor is fatal.

A - APPRECIATION
Appreciate every big or little things your partner does for you. Do not ever disregard the efforts of your spouse. A little bit of appreciation is enough to meed the effort of the other. Appreciation builds up consistency. It encourages your spouse to remain consistent. And, always say thank you. Do it in a way how you would want to be appreciated.

T - TRANSPARENCY
It was only 8 months of engagement before we got married but that was more than enough for both of us to know everything about each other. Everything? Sort of. Because we talk a lot, we kinda have talked about our history. It's a great feeling of comfort when you're able to share everything to your spouse. No holds barred. Transparency is important as it avoids surprises along the way. Being open to your partner also means you don't care more about your pasts. Don't get me wrong. Discovery is a lifetime process. All along the relationship, we may still discover things about our partner.  Transparency is also about sharing everything that happens in everyday life. After all, my wife is my best friend and my best confidant.  If I have to hide something, it's a surprise!

These C.H.A.T. factors would be effective if you also live by the golden rule: do it if you want it to be done to you, or, don't if you do not want to be done to you.  If God is in the center of your relationship, you're good to go.

Picture Perfect

There are a lot more factors that could contribute to an ideal married life. For us, these are the 4 key factors that has given love, laughter and life to our marriage. Though not perfect, it is going smoothly, getting stronger everyday and always full of laughter and cheers. Resolving conflicts has become easy peasy.

Trials will be there. You just have to challenge the challenges. For 5 years, Consistency + Humor + Appreciation + Transparency (CHAT) = Ideal Marriage Life for us. Keep on CHATTING!