A New Resolution
It is that time of year again. New Year’s Resolutions. The fact is that most Americans don’t subscribe to New Year’s resolutions, 70 % in fact, according to Pew Research Center. I am also a person who stopped making New Year’s resolutions. As with the other 56% Americans I just did not like making them, nor did I find them effective. Instead I made a yearly intention that I made my mantra for the year.
A great example of this was choosing to use, “let me think about it and get back to you.” As a go-getter, and out going person, I would find myself making commitments in the moment of excitement, then regretting it, only to cancel on those commitments later. I realized this about myself and chose to spend a year never answering yes until I really thought about the commitment for a minimum of two days. I bring this to your attention because it would be worth the challenge to make a singular commitment to your relationship this year. Commit to creating quality, non-traditional, past routine experiences together as a means of connection.
What might this look like for you? If you are not currently dating your partner on a weekly or monthly basis then these tips will be most helpful for you. However, any couple can find them useful.
Here are five steps to simple date planning to help you change things up for you and your partner.
Take the time to look at important holidays that will happen this year. Every holiday occurs on the same day, every year. It’s easy to make your dates different, because choosing the theme is done for you, and will be based upon the selected holiday. A few examples are, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, etc.
Select at minimal four holidays to work with. Preferably, you would choose one holiday per quarter. If you are only going out as a couple once per year (can we say anniversary) then this will actually give you a significant boost in time together and happiness.
If dinner and a movie is your go-to for date night, working with holidays will take a lot of planning off the table for you. Google local events near you and you will get a host of events to attend that are fun and themed around the holiday. Are you a Michigander that has easy access to the Lansing area? Check out the Greater Lansing Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt that Love Spark is hosting to avoid the cliché Valentines dinner. Going out in summer, check out Juneteenth activities to get a cultural experience.
Consider getting in touch with your inner child. Some of the best dates we’ve curated are those that allow us to experience an activity that was once part of a time when life was much more simple. Choose activities that allow you to take the adult hat off and enjoy the date with your partner and no serious expectations. Enjoy a carnival or fair during the Fourth of July weekend. Play the games, eat elephant ears and cotton candy, and enjoy the rides.
Take time to discuss. I’m not talking about a formal interview or debrief of the date. I’m talking about sharing the things that you loved the most, what made you laugh, the craziness you saw from people watching, and the things you would like to do again next time. Your discussion time can be just as fun as the date itself.
New Year’s resolutions are still a something many Americans take part in. What is most important is making dating each other a priority within the relationship, which isn’t delegated to the start of the new year, but is consistently tended to all year long. If consistent date nights are new for you and your goal, take a peek at the ‘Consistency’ page of our website and the Consistent Connection membership, where your dates are created for you and delivered to your inbox monthly.
