Scottsdale Health December 2019

elating
/ by Jocelyn and Aaron Freeman
Jocelyn and Aaron
Freeman are your
go-to marriage coaches
to learn the relationship
skills no one
taught you in school.
The Freemans are
published authors,
public speakers, and
lead couples workshops
in the Valley.
For more information,
visit www.meetthefreemans.com.
Resolution Prep
Tips to finish 2019 strong and carry momentum into 2020
Has it dawned on you that 2020 will be an entirely new decade? You likely
scroll past anything that says “New Year’s resolutions,” especially while it’s
still 2019. While you might not be ready to talk about resolutions just yet, how
about practical, fun ways to be rested, organized and set up for a successful
start to 2020 as a couple?
You don’t have to start off this next year scrambling, tired and trying to
catch up with the momentum of the year. Here are five helpful ways to close out
2019 and start 2020 strong as a team.
1. Delete,
delegate or do it
differently
Have you ever tried
to add clothes into
a jampacked closet?
It’s not easy. Well,
the same thing goes
for trying to add new
and exciting goals
into your life if it’s
already overwhelmingly
full. Take a
few hours during
December to do an
audit of your lives as
a couple and delete
what doesn’t align
with your goals, delegate
what doesn’t
have to be done by
you, and plan to do
things differently if
it’s feeling monotonous.
Simply make
a list of all the activities
or commitments
that don’t inspire
you for 2020 and ask
yourselves, “how
can we delete this,
delegate it or do it
differently?”
2. Categorize the
areas of your life
Sometimes it can
feel daunting to try
and create “big-picture
life goals” without
a way to organize
your thoughts.
Instead, write out six
to eight categories of
life like, health, social
life, career, romance,
finances, etc. Then,
with those categories,
ask each other
what would be a
goal or intention that
would inspire you
into action. The goals
don’t have to be the
exact same for the
two of you, but see
if you can create a
few that you want to
pursue together.
3. Guard your
time
You can either
start January 2020
exhausted from all of
the social gatherings
or you can start the
year feeling intentional
about your time. If
you have New Year’s
Eve plans, make sure
to at least block one
of the following three
days to rest, collect
your thoughts and
set your life up for
success. Just don’t
go from running 100
miles per hour during
the holidays with
family to trying to
start the year with
less steam for your
own goals.
4. Focus on the
habits, not the
outcome
The truth is, you
can’t always control
the outcome
when you set goals.
However, you have
complete control
over your daily
habits. When you
set your goals as
a couple for 2020,
focus on the daily
actions or habits that
will lead to the bigpicture
achievement.
For example, make
a goal to exercise
four days per week
instead of the goal
to lose 20 pounds in
two months. Make a
scoreboard to track
that you’re keeping
to the habits you
wrote down.
5. Make your date
nights a priority
When it comes to
the start of the 2020,
nothing is more
important than your
romantic and emotional
connection as a
couple. Achievement
is great, but connection
is even better. As
you start to anticipate
your schedule for the
new year, pre-block
date nights and mark
them in your calendar.
Going on a date
once per week is
ideal, but make sure
it’s no less than twice
per month. Get creative
with the dates.
Most importantly,
make sure to stick to
setting aside quality
time together and
that you don’t cancel
your plans because
you don’t feel like
going out.
By taking some
easy steps, 2020 can
be one of the most
extraordinary years
you have ever had as
a couple, but 2019
still has hope. Don’t
wait to start the new
year to get intentional
and focused about
your goals, desires
and dreams for the
year. December is
a great time to connect
and get clarity
together.
46 ScottsdaleHealth 12/19