How to Make Your Own Life Plan (Part 4)- Your Marriage and Your Family

In the first article of the “How to Make Your Own Life Plan” series, I gave you nine areas to focus on for making a life plan that will propel you into your best future.

As of this post, we're halfway there!

Making Your Life Plan Yet?

Have you been following along and creating your own personal life plan with the downloadable forms from each post?  If not, you can go back and read each post, download and print the forms, and create your own written life plan that you can refer back to and tweak on a regular basis.

So let's move on to the next two areas of life planning which are “Your Marriage” and “Your Family”

A Life Plan for Your Marriage

I broke these down into separate categories because even though they are related, you have to approach each one as a separate entity, because they are distinctly different from each other.

Let's get this party started by making a plan for your marriage first.

Cultivating a great marriage takes work and commitment, and when it's done well, it pays huge dividends to your entire family for generations to come.

Taking care of your spousal relationship is important because the happiness of the entire family depends on it.  When marriage is done right, not only are Mom and Dad happy, but that happiness rubs off on your kids as well.

I like what Michael Hyatt wrote that a friend once told him in his “Creating Your Own Personal Life Plan” ebook.  They told him “The most important gift you can give your kids is to love their mother”

I think that is right on the money!

But sometimes it can be difficult to do it well.

That's why you need a plan.

Be Intentional

How do you make a plan for that?  The first thing you can do is to intentionally schedule regular time to spend alone with only your spouse, without the kids.  Have a date night on a regular basis to connect with each other on an emotional level.

Heck, it doesn't even have to be romantic.  Just get together and spend time talking, laughing, and enjoying each other through good old fashioned bonding.  You can bond just as well bowling, fishing, or taking a walk as you can over a romantic dinner.  Just make sure it happens on a regular basis.

You should also be sure to connect regularly in a physical way (sexual and nonsexual).  That means regular touching, hugging, kissing, and yes, even sex on a regular basis.

My wife Angie and I especially like showing affection in front of our kids because it embarrasses the heck out of them.  My 13 year old daughter even tries to physically separate us when we kiss!

But we know that seeing their parents showing their love toward each other can only be good for them in the long run.

Ask Yourself Some Questions

You can start the “Marriage” part of your life plan by asking yourself these questions:

• Do I spend enough quality time with my spouse on a regular basis to maintain and strengthen our bond?
• Are we physically intimate with each other regularly (sexual and nonsexual)?

Next, ask yourself what you can do to improve on that, such as scheduling a regular date night, more touching, or having sex more often.  You can download and print the “Your Marriage” worksheet and answer these questions on paper.  Add them to your other life planning worksheets to continue building your life plan.

By the way, an awesome resource Angie and I have used for our marriage is a book called “Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.  It's by far the best book I've read on marriage and I use many of the concepts from that book in my Celebrating Financial Freedom course.  This book along with a great marriage counselor helped save our marriage!

Learn more about “Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

Cultivating Your Kids

Next, let's talk about family, specifically your children.

Of course, loving your children well means loving your spouse well first, as we just discussed.

Loving your children well also starts with taking care of basic needs, making an effort to make them feel loved and valued, as well as helping them to grow.  It starts with the simple stuff like telling them you love them, touching and hugging them, making them feel loved and secure, bonding with them, and providing a stable environment.

Spend time doing family activities like sports, games, hiking, biking, or anything that allows you to come together and interact.  Take time with your kids every day by eating dinner together and talking to them about their day.

Make the effort to help them develop their talents and interests, which can help them understand more about themselves.

Additionally, make sure you don't lose focus by working too many hours and being absent physically.  When you are home, make sure you are mentally and emotionally available.

When you put together this part of your life plan, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I spending enough time with my kids?
• Do I showing my kids they are loved and important?
• Am I emotionally, mentally, and physically available to my kids?
• Am I investing in their growth?

You can download and print the “Your Family” worksheet here to fill out and add to your overall plan.

Your Family Tree Will Thank You

When you're diligent about making sure your spouse and your kids are well taken care of, not only will you be happier, but those people you love the most will be happier too.  You will all be better able to live a rich, blessed life that will have a lasting effect on your family for generations to come!

Until next week…

Question:  What are some things you've done to invest into your spouse and kids?

Tell me about it in the comments.

Read the entire How to Make Your Own Life Plan Series Here

Resources:

Secure Your Future (Part 1)- Make a Plan

How to Get Your Spouse on Board Financially

Control Your Money and Your Destiny

“Creating Your Own Personal Life Plan” by Michael Hyatt

“Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

Teach Your Kids to Manage Money (6 Tips)

Firewalk Your Dreams