With the New Year approaching, it’s common to look ahead to the future. But having a “year in review” with your spouse is also important. Have you ever looked back at the past year together?
Looking backward can give you both a sense of perspective. What things went well this year? What didn’t work out for you? What were you hoping the past year would bring? Did those things come to pass, or did life take a turn in its own direction?
However the year went for you, it can be helpful to take some time to reflect together. Ultimately, you might just find that a look back at the past year can help you clarify your plans, dreams, and goals for the upcoming year. Wondering whether conducting a year in review is right for you? Let’s talk about it.
A Year in Review Offers Perspective
When you take a close look at the past year, you and your spouse can both see how expectations and results differed. What were you hoping for during the past year? What did you get instead?
Pick a few events, struggles, or outcomes to talk about together. Do you want to celebrate something exciting that you achieved? What about course-correcting on a plan or goal that didn’t go well? Consider what you’d like to try to replicate, and what you’d do differently.
Reflection Brings Clarity
Reflecting makes the events of the past year crystal clear. That’s great for you and your spouse if you’re hoping to adjust moving forward. Whether you’re setting new goals or re-setting the goals of the previous year, you’ll have more information to work with.
How do you feel about the past year–satisfied? Joyful? Disappointed? What obstacles did you face along the way? What parts of the year were easier or more difficult than you expected? Is there anything you can do to ease your path in the New Year?
Clarity Reveals the Path Forward
Once you’re clear on what worked and what didn’t this past year, it’s time to look ahead. Use the information you’ve gathered in the prior year to forge your new path. Like every year, there will be twists, turns, and curveballs, but making a plan will help you stick as closely as possible to your goals.
Dreaming together is such an impactful part of a fulfilling marriage. When you put your heads together to imagine what life could be, you have much greater chances of achieving your dreams. After all, you joined forces as a couple to create a beautiful life. What could be better than using the past year to sharpen and re-focus on those dreams?
Use Your Experiences to Strengthen Your Marriage
As you wrap up your year in review, consider how your experiences can help the two of you strengthen your marriage. What did you learn about yourselves and one another that can help you in the future? How did the year shape how you want to approach goals and dreams moving forward?
If the year revealed work that needs to be done in your relationship, we can help. Our book, Strengthen Your Marriage, is a guide that helps you get going in the right direction. You can pick up your copy here.
Do you and your spouse have an annual “year in review?” Do you plan to? Let us know what you think in the comments.
We don’t do this yet, but it is a great idea! We do weekly meetings on Monday evenings, looking at our calendar and planning ahead what needs to be done for the coming week, to avoid conflicts and to make sure we are on the same page.