Goals guide you through life as a map guides you to a travel destination. If you know where you want to go, you need to know how to get there. When you map a goal and take off on your journey to your destination, you are likely to cross your finish line. Likewise, goal setting is an important task for couples to perform together. It can help strengthen relationships in many areas, including finances, careers, children and desires.
Definition
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar suggests that the majority of people do not set goals because they do not have a firm understanding of what goals are and how they work. Goals are dreams with direction, according to the Business Dictionary website. A dream is simply an idea, something you want to accomplish. When you develop a specific plan, write it down and set a completion date, you have developed a goal.
Importance
The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability suggests that setting goals directs focus toward achieving that goal, helping ward off distractions. This can be applied to the many distractions involved in a marriage, such as children and work. You and your spouse might have similar dreams, but without focus on those dreams you are likely to be distracted by daily chores and activities. Setting goals as a couple puts you on common ground as you work together to accomplish those goals. As a bonus, you learn to compromise--a skill vital to happy relationships.
Expert Insight
Therapists often use goal-setting as a primary form of treatment for couples. According to The Couples Institute, the objective is to get both people focused in the same direction. Together they develop a vision, and they work cohesively to reach that vision. This takes focus off the negative and places it on the positive. The belief is that the redirection of attention to the positive also redirects the energy of the relationship away from negative.
Types of Goals
As hardships arise, preset goals will help you endure them together. Therefore, goals should be set in multiple areas of your life and marriage. Consider your careers, finances, health, friends and family, love, fun and recreation, personal development and physical environment. Aim to set both short-term and long-term goals in each area.
Suggestions
Because it can be difficult for couples to find ample time to devote to goal-setting, dedicate one weekend as your "Goal Weekend." Plan to be together, preferably away from home and all distractions. The website Manage Your Money suggests spending Friday night relaxing and enjoying time together. Saturday morning, go off individually to develop your list of dreams. After lunch, review each other's lists and explain what is most important to you. Then collaborate to develop joint goals. Divide those goals into three categories of short-term, intermediate and long-range. Break for the night, and then Sunday morning develop steps you will take to reach each goal, setting a completion date for each.
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