by Joshua Hook | Apr 30, 2018 | Relationships
Couples have a difficult time dealing with disagreement and conflict. Think about your own relationship. What happens when you disagree about something? Are you able to listen to one another, empathize, understand the other person’s perspective, and work toward a...
by Joshua Hook | Apr 6, 2018 | Relationships
Recently I wrote a blog post about John Gottman and the 5:1 rule. The take-home message was this: successful marriage or dating relationships had a ratio of at least 5 positive interactions for each negative interaction. 5:1 is Hard Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to...
by Joshua Hook | Mar 19, 2018 | Relationships
Sometimes making friends can be difficult, especially if you have recently moved to a new place. It might feel like everyone else is already connected, and you’re all alone. It can be challenging to know where to start when trying to develop your community. This can...
by Joshua Hook | Mar 11, 2018 | Humility, Relationships
This post is Part 9 in a 12-part blog series on humility and growth. (If you missed the first post, you can find it here.) Relationships are hard. I mentioned this to my wife as we were talking through some tough things the other day. We have a good relationship, but...
by Joshua Hook | Feb 13, 2018 | Relationships
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to talk to you about a simple rule that can help you have a better marriage or dating relationship. But before I tell you the rule, I want to share a bit about how it came about. John Gottman and the Love Lab A professor named...
by Joshua Hook | Dec 14, 2017 | Relationships
We all need good friends, but they can be hard to find. We all need community, but it can be difficult to build. This is especially true if we just moved to a new place and don’t already know people already. How can we develop quality friendships and build community?...
by Joshua Hook | Oct 17, 2017 | Relationships
Dating is difficult. If you just came back from a rough first date, or spent a Friday night alone wishing you had somebody to love, you know what I’m talking about. It’s hard to find a date worth keeping. It gets more difficult once you’re out of college. When you’re...
by Joshua Hook | Aug 15, 2017 | Love, Relationships
One of my favorite books for couples is the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. The premise of the book is simple, but profound. As people, we give and receive love in different ways. We tend to think our partner will receive love in the same way that we prefer to...
by Joshua Hook | Aug 8, 2017 | Relationships
My fiancé and I were watching the Bachelorette the other day (I know, the things you do for love…), and the guys were laying it on pretty thick. One guy had written the Bachelorette a love poem that he recited to her, and another guy had written her an original song....
by Joshua Hook | Jan 24, 2017 | Meaning, Relationships
One of my favorite restaurants growing up was Geno’s East in Chicago. It served deep-dish Chicago-style pizza, the kind of pizza with golden, crumbly, crust and tons of cheese. I could usually only eat one or two slices before I was stuffed. One of the things that was...
