Loving Others

Happy 2015! This is the time of year when many set career goals, health goals, or financial goals. These are good to have, but we often neglect to set goals for our close relationships, our spouse, our children, our friends. Solid relationships are the foundation to a happy life

I once listened to a sermon where the pastor advised his congregation to set goals and schedule in time to work on them. This pastor had been setting goals and writing  a weekly schedule to work on his goals for over thirty years.  When he became a father, he had said one of his long term goals was to have a friendship with his children.  While they were young, he scheduled one-on-one time with them. His said it was an enormous investment given the competing demands on his time, but it paid off. He has a friendship with his adult children.

That sermon came to mind for me recently when I thought about the kind of relationship I want to have with my children, spouse and my friends. Scheduling in that one-on-one time with those I love should be an important part of how I spend my day.

Here are some questions to help you set some relationship goals for 2015:

Your Marriage Goals

• How would you describe the current state of your marriage?
• How many dates have you gone on in the past year? How many would you like to go on? (Check out this post for date night ideas.)
• What are some ways you could improve communication with your spouse?

Your Parenting Goals

• What’s your current discipline style? How could you improve it?
• Do you have clear boundaries with your children?
• What could you do to spend more quality and more quantity time with your children?
• What could you do on a regular basis to show your child that they are loved?

Your Friendship Goals

• Do you like your friends? Do your friendships edify you or drain you?
• Are there any fun things you’d like to do with your friends in 2015?
• How much time do you spend with your friends? How often do you talk to them?
• What could you do to be a better friend?

There you have it, some questions to ask regarding your relationships.

What questions would you add to the list?