What is Tuesday Relationship Tips? The second of the 4 pillars of a well-balanced life is relationships. Monday through Thursday we’ll go over one of the pillars, and Friday we’ll talk about ways to have fun in each. Check out our About page for more information.
When I was younger and setting goals according to the 4 pillars, this was named “social” and referred more to my relationships with my parents and siblings. Now that I have a wife and kids of my own, I’ve had the opportunity to learn a few lessons that help keep relationships stronger.
My goal is to help you develop deeper, more loving relationships with those you love the most, and each week I’ll give tips on how to do that.
Last Friday in the Actionable Advice section of my email I mentioned a new idea we started in our Family a couple of weeks ago.
I’ve always known that quality time was important. It’s been my relationships goal for the last couple of years. Let me explain why and then I’ll get into what we’ve been working on as a Family.
When I met my wife, I was astounded at how close she and her Family were. She and her siblings are best friends with their Mom and Dad and each other. All of them are doing exceptionally well, working hard, have or are getting college degrees and spouses and children of their own.
And they’re all still close as a Family.
I found myself constantly pondering what it was their parents did that helped them grow to be such good friends. After a few years of knowing my wife, I think I’ve figured it out.
The one thing that helped my wife’s parents raise such wonderful children was the quality time they all spend together. I’ve heard countless stories of times they played video games, went on road trips, and hiked together.
My wife’s parents are exceptional people. They helped their children become similarly successful by keeping my wife and her siblings close as they continued to be their best selves. The way they kept close was the quality time they spent together.
As Jim Rohn said it:
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
My in-laws became the average of each other. They all became better as each of them improved because they spent so much time together.
So, in our Family, I’ve set a goal to try to spend as much quality time with my children as possible. I hope to increase my passive income so I can work less and vacation more with them. But here’s the kicker.
Most children only become as good as their parents are.
That’s not meant to make you feel bad for what you lack as a parent. I’m here to lift you up and encourage you, which is why I created Better Parent.
Rather than just focusing on parenting itself, we’re all about improving ourselves, so our kids get to become better too.
But how do we spend that time with them? Here’s one thing I’ve done.
I created a Google Keep note to plan our quality time together. I also made and track a personal key performance indicator for quality hours spent with the family and set a goal for at least 1 per day. Here’s an image of the Google Keep note:
I’ve got a place for each day of the week and then a list at the bottom for inside and outside activities. Every Sunday afternoon, we make our plan. If I’m unsure what we should do, I check my lists. As we find new activities we like, I add them to the list.
While simple, I believe this little note and the goal I’ve set to go with it will make a big difference in our relationships.
Actionable Advice: Create a note of your own like the one you see above, as I’ve described.
Head’s up! Tomorrow is Wealth Building Wednesday, which is all about how to become financially free!