No matter how many times experts warn us not to believe everything we see on TV or social media, it’s still easy to get caught in the comparison trap. And watching Chip and Joanna Gaines looking so adorable together on Fixer Upper or in sappy Instagram posts is enough to make anyone jealous.

But just because Chip and Jo appear to be the perfect couple,it doesn’t mean that their marriage is free from challenges and stress. Yes, they’reworth a whopping$9 million each… but when they first got married, they were flat broke andarguing about money just like millions of other couples.

Even now they don’t see eye to eye on everything. During arecent appearance, the Gaineses admitted that they often have to tryreally hard to make their relationship work.

Chip and Joanna Gaines are together all the time

Working with your life partner adds a whole other level of stress to all your interactions. In the case of Chip and Joanna Gaines, the dividing line between work life and home life is often blurred, which can make things a bit confusing. And you know how absence makes the heart grow fonder? In Chip and Joanna’s case, those breaks are few and far between.

“This is a very hard thing to do, to work together with someone you also have a relationship and family with,” Chip said during an INBOUND conference. “We definitely disagree. It’s not perfect.”

They do one key thing tomake their marriage work

Though Chip and Joanna experience difficult times just like the rest of us, the key difference in their interactions makes a whole lot of sense. Chip Gaines revealed the way they approach their relationship, saying,

“Our secret ingredient toour marriage and working relationship is a solid mutual respect,” Chip said.“A lot of hard work goes into this, but if you can get to a mutual placeof respect, you can change the world.”

Chip and Joanna make their chemistry look effortless, but in reality, they both put in the time to keep their marriage a priority. The result of this effort is evident in how happy these two are together.

Chip and Joanna are all about being silly

Fans of Fixer Upper know that Chip is notoriously silly and goofy while Joanna is more reserved and practical. But together, they bring out the best in each other. And neither one takes life too seriously.

“We’re this odd yin and yang,this whole opposites attract,” Joanna explained at the conference. “I wouldargue that at the end of the day, we learned early that we’re a lot strongerand powerful when we’re pulling together, as [opposed] to pulling against eachother. We’re a powerful force when we operate like that.”

Having five kids automatically makes life more challenging,it’s true. But since Chip and Joanna Gaines approach their life and work with suchpracticality, they’re able to make everything work.

Things may not be perfect — but Chip and Joanna Gaines arecertainly the epitome of marriage goals!

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