Hey there! Hope all is well. While we hang out today, I hope the story I share in this post inspires other couples and families to begin incorporating this idea into their lives too. Ejuan and I have always discussed our goals and plans for the future, but last year, he wanted to go even deeper, so he came up with what he called our “Focus Meeting.”
The meeting was designed to discuss topics and situations from the current year and concepts we wanted to add, improve, or change for the upcoming year. Before we scheduled our session, I asked him for an agenda to ensure we remained organized and focused on the same purpose. He created and sent a list so we would discuss matters around the following:
What I thought went wrong:
What I thought went right:
What I think we can do better going into 2020:
Proposed changes to the 2020 budget:
I then took each question and statement and pondered on them, then wrote my answers out. We decided to meet away from home, so we chose a nice restaurant to go over everything. Having our review away from home with some of our favorite food in a relaxing atmosphere allowed us to have little distractions. The restaurant and food gave us a feeling that we were treating ourselves and celebrating our growth without taking away the focus on our purpose for being there. When the meeting took place, we discussed my thoughts, and he gave feedback to my responses and then shared his feelings and opinions on each matter. After hearing each other out, we worked together to come up with a compromise to keep us both content and make sure we stayed on track to meet our collective goals.
Having this review process at the end of the year is now a thing that we will continue to keep ourselves accountable for the goals we plan to achieve. It is also a great way to continue to understand and learn about one another. This plan will help us maintain a healthy and successful relationship because we communicate what did and does not work for us. Marriage, life, and people are everchanging. Because we constantly evolve, the only way we can ensure we will grow together and not apart is to keep working as a team.
Our Focus Meeting 2021 is coming up, and I’m excited to review everything we discussed in 2019 to compare to the reality of our 2020. I cannot wait to talk about our progress and what still may need to be addressed.
Until next time, I’ll leave you with this. I really hope that you consider implementing this idea too. It has been a game-changer for us! Now, let me say, remember that the ultimate plan is not up to us, but we must plan the work needed to succeed. As it states in the Bible, “Faith without works is dead.” You can’t think it and believe alone. You’ve got to write the vision and make it plain. Then, you have to do your part and put in the work. The rest will happen during the season and time God intended. Do you and your spouse have a process or method you use to review your year and plan for the following year to come? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks so much for stopping by to hang out with me! Please share this post with a friend or two!
This is so cool! Your marriage is so cool. Love how this shows you are a super team and really work on your life together.
Aww, thanks so much for the kind words. It definitely takes teamwork to make us work!
I really enjoyed learning about your yearly meeting and I love that your husband suggested it. I will let my hubby know! 👏🏾👏🏾
Thanks so much for reading. I hope your hubby is receptive or is at least inspired for you two to create something you can also do.
I love this idea and I can’t wait to incorporate your helpful tips to my marriage one day!! Thank you for sharing
Absolutely! Thanks so much! I’m looking forward to hearing all the fun and success you have with the Mr. If you connect with anyone like yourself, there will NEVER be a dull moment!