As we roll into 2024, start thinking about how to keep important personal relationships a focus.
Generally, people focus on their careers or other major decisions to tackle in the new year. Unfortunately, they forget about their personal relationships.
Personal relationships are an essential aspect of life. And sometimes, we take people we value the most for granted.
In addition to your typical planning for 2024, ask yourself these questions:
Do you want to strengthen your relationship with your spouse?
Do you have friendships you want to rebuild?
Do you want to spend more time with certain family members?
Basically, take a few moments and list personal relationships important to you.
Specifically, focus only on people you value. It may be a short list, and that’s okay.
Using a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being “needs improvement” and 5 being “perfect”), rank each relationship.
For any relationship ranked below 3, identify one thing you could do in 2024 to improve it.
Here are some ideas to consider to keep important personal relationships a focus in 2024:
Weekly phone calls
Monthly lunches
Visits to the theater or museum
Shopping excursions
Playing golf, tennis, or some other sport
Signing up for a class – cooking, photography, ballroom dancing, etc.
Planned weekend getaway or mini vacation
When deciding what to do to strengthen your personal relationships, be realistic about your time and the other person’s time.
Decide on something you can do easily.
Remember, your purpose is to strengthen the relationship, not create drudgery for yourself.
(Update to original post from December 25, 2017)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Niv Persaud, CFP®, CDFA®, RICP®, is a Managing Director at Transition Planning & Guidance, LLC. Life is more than money. It’s about living the lifestyle you want and can afford. For that reason, Niv consults with clients on money, life, and work. Her approach capitalizes on techniques she learned throughout her career, including as a management consultant, executive recruiter, and financial advisor. Her services include developing comprehensive financial plans, divorce financial reviews, and retirement plans. Niv actively gives back to her community through her volunteer efforts. She believes in living life to the fullest by cherishing friendships, enjoying the beauty of nature and laughing often — even at herself. Her favorite quote is by Erma Bombeck, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say ‘I used everything you gave me.’”