RELATIONSHIPS. They come in all "shapes and sizes", don't they? You have your relationship with your spouse, your parents, your in-laws, your kids, their spouses once they get older, your siblings, co-workers, your boss and just friends, in general.
I will try to cover several of these areas over the next few blog articles but, as you can probably tell from the picture above, I'm going to start off talking about your relationship with your spouse. Yes, you can re-word that however you want and apply it however you want, but I think you get the idea.
That picture is actually the shadow of my wife and I from a couple of weeks ago when we were out on a day trip. We were actually taking a "selfie" with some beautiful scenery behind us when I noticed the shadow and decided I wanted to take a picture of that as well.
We will have been married for 39 years toward the end of this coming May. Wow! She's getting old! Yeah, yeah, I know. Anyway, that's a long time to be with someone but, at the same time, her parents have been married for 70 years!!
Straight up...it has NOT been easy! There have been times over the years that both of us "got lazy" and took each other for granted. We have been separated on two different occasions (5 weeks was the longest) and were even on the brink of divorce during that longest period.
But, we are still here and, to be honest, we are STRONGER than ever before...but not by accident. It has taken determination, patience and, plain old WORK!
That is the purpose of talking about my "Project 141" application to this area of RELATIONSHIPS.
With the application of the idea behind "Project 141" be sure to do at least ONE (1) thing every day FOR (4) ONE (1) full year. Yes, every - single - day. At LEAST once a day!
Look at the graphic I put together a few years ago to get a few ideas of a few questions that you might want to consider...
Again, I know some of you would want to list "RELATIONSHIPS" in my list further up the list and that's o.k. Like I've already stated, I put them in this order for a reason and, as a way to recap, here's is my reasoning behind the order of this list.
In my opinion, your SPIRITUAL life/connection should always be #1 on your list. Want to know how to have better relationships? Check your "owners manual" (the Bible) for your directions. Want to improve your "PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT"? Again, check the "owners manual" which, if you go back and read, I pointed out over 3 articles on that specific area on this list. Why did I not put "relationships" in front of either of these. An improved spiritual life/connection will improve every area of your life. In my opinion, working on improving yourself (personal development) and your mind, mindset and attitude will do nothing but improve all of your relationships as well.
Test me on this and see what you discover.
You CAN NOT take your relationships (ANY of them) for granted! I know it may sound corny but, yes, you need to treat your relationships as if they were a tender plant that needs your attention. Specifically, as we talk about your relationship with your spouse, you must take DAILY care and NEVER take it for granted. If you see this relationship starting to "wilt", don't wait! Let this be a "warning sign" to you that it is in need of some "nourishment" and get at it, friend!
A few years ago, I began writing little notes for my wife and leaving them around for her to find. Actually, this began when we were separated and I knew I had best figure out a way to get her attention and let her know how much I DID love her and how much I DID cherish her and NEED her. Guess what? After a little while, she started leaving me notes as well.
This might be something that you consider doing for YOUR spouse. Get creative as WHERE to leave the note to surprise your spouse.
Let me emphasize this point. Yes, it's GREAT to leave notes like this but DO NOT allow these notes take the place of you VERBALLY telling your spouse that you love them. SAY the words, "I love you!" no matter how uncomfortable that may be for you at first --SAY IT!
Remember, CHANGE IS NOT EASY and, as "silly" as it may seem to some that are already in the habit of doing things such as this, if you are NOT used to doing so, it WILL take effort and discipline to do SOMETHING every single day!
Here's another suggestion for you if you are finding that you "don't feel" the same way that you used to when you first met. For one, understand that NEITHER of you are the same person that you were when you first met! THIS IS KEY!
In my next article, I'm going to continue this discussion and share with you a suggested "work sheet" to really "break this down" (the idea stated in the last paragraph) and hopefully help you and your spouse strengthen your relationship.
Until next time, remember, YOU'RE HERE FOR A REASON and, whatever you do, always be sure to...
"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"
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