E03 - Marriage: The Great Adventure with Zack and Annie Oates

Zack Oates is an entrepreneur, hot tubber, blogger and husband (but not in that order, necessarily). 

It took him over 1,000 dates to find his wife (worth the wait) and has documented his journey on BowlofOates.com. 

Annie is a Fashion designer who runs her a design shop and shows off her up-cycling at heyannieo.com when she's not momming or wifing it up like a boss.

They are a hashtag power couple.

3:30 - The most important mentors in life are those who are just a few steps ahead of you.4:30 - How Zack and Annie met5:20 - Rule #1: You can kiss on the first date, as long as you marry them!6:15  - What Zack learned after 1000 dates7:20 - Fireworks vs Smolder8:40 - “God, if this wrong, tell me now….because I’m going for it!”9:10 - Choose your love, and love your choice.10:15 - Lots of people like to warn us that the first year of marriage is the hardest, but it doesn’t have to be that way10:30 - Mission lesson: It’s not about obedience, it’s about love. “Obedience is the first law, but love is the greatest” Marriage is very similar. Love and serve your companion.12:45 - “You’ve made your choice. Now, spend the rest of your life making it the right choice.”14:30 The first year of marriage was not as hard as everyone painted it to be, but it was still an adjustment for them.17:15 - If your friends are having a bad day or do something mean, you can leave. But in marriage, you’ve got to deal with it!18:00 Marriage is easier than dating - it’s a different kind of hard.19:45 There are many people who will say, regardless of what stage of life you’re in, “Oh [this stage] is the worst!”12:30 There are other people who will say that whatever stage is NEXT in life, is the hardest. “You just wait!”21:00 People who are optimistic will always be able to find the good. (and vice versa)22:10 Slug Bug analogy. “You find what you’re looking for.”23:50 If you want to hear the voice of God, listen. If you want to see the hand of God, look. If you want to feel the love of God, serve.24:15 “The world, with all its sham and drudgery, is still a beautiful place.” There is an abundance of joy available to us, but we have to CHOOSE to take it.25:30 The ritual of a Weekly Companionship Inventory26:15 Things that make marriage hard - family, sex, money, communication, and forgetting the small stuff. Companionship inventory helps to address all of these things on a regular basis.27:40 Steps to a good inventory: #1. Offer a reason you love the other specifically from the week #2. Ask what can I do to improve or be better #3. Go over finances #4. Set your schedule for the week.28:45 “Real-time feedback”29:45 Go to marriage counseling BEFORE there is a problem. Gather the tools and skills you need to be prepared when issues arise.30:15 While communicating, learn how to dig for the deeper meaning or intentions behind your partner’s words. Sometimes the conversation needs to keep going in order to truly understand each other. Get to the root issue.31:00 A lot of our actions are rooted in our fears and insecurities. It’s important to understand what our partner’s fears are in order to have context surrounding why they do what they do. This can lead to more empathy versus anger.32:00 Fight or Flight mode is instinctual during arguments and stress. When your partner shuts down, lashes out, or takes flight during an argument, it’s not effective to just tell them to stop or return the anger. It’s important to ask yourself, “What could I be doing that has put them into fight or flight mode? What am I doing that is making them feel unsafe?”33:00 The other person’s perception of reality is the only reality that they have.36:05 Low Negativity Threshold (resolve issues quickly to avoid resentment)37:45 Dishes analogy38:25 Your brain perceives emotional pain in the same place that it perceives physical pain. Our natural instinct is to pull away from whatever is causing us pain. You need to repair that emotional wound in order to close the gap that the hurt created.40:30 An apology does not have to be an admission of guilt, but an opportunity to heal your partner41:30 Be quick to apologize and quick to forgive. Acknowledge the hurt that was made, heal, and move on.42:05 Give genuine compliments often.44:00 If marriage is for eternity, why not make is something to be stoked about?44:45 Surround yourself with people who LOVE marriage and have a positive outlook.47:10 Find what you value most and have a “thing” that you do together. Always have something to look forward to.49:30 Alma 32 - comparing the seed to love and marriage (it takes effort and nourishment)52:25 In dating, sometimes there are good seeds and good soil that just aren’t compatible with each other, and that’s okay!55:25 When the seed finally takes root and begins to grow, even if it’s slow,it can truly become something “sweet above all that is sweet”56:20 Marry your best friend56:30 “Strive to be happy”57:05 “Teach it to me, or take it from me”