What You Are Missing By Not Setting #RelationshipGoals

Have you seen the #RelationshipGoals hashtag on Instagram?  

Relationship goals can apply to the love of your life or your very best friends. Build a new relationship or deepen a special one!  In 2020, close relationships became even more important as we limited our other social contact to slow the spread of Covid-19 – #RelationshipGoals

Do you have relationship goals?  Midlife women need them more than ever. As we embrace  the “second half,”  we want the most out of life.

Here are a few ideas and examples of #RelationshipGoals:

Set joint #RelationshipGoals with your partner or spouse 

Think about it this way: if you have shared goals — things you strive to achieve together — your bond is tight. You can celebrate your wins together.  Married couple, Mike and Belinda McDonald from Park City, UT (Instagram handle @skisync)  were recently featured in the Park Record newspaper for synchronized skiing.  

No, synchronized skiing is not an Olympic Sport, but maybe it should be. Mike and Belinda ski in coordinated outfits and synchronize their turns as they ski down the runs at Deer Valley Ski Resort.  From the lift, we skiers can’t help but holler in encouragement.  

While this couple is adorable and fun, there are some serious life lessons to be learned from them.  The McDonalds set joint goals.  Wouldn’t these be called #relationshipgoals?  I’d think so!

For example, Mike and Belinda don’t just go out and ski a few runs then have lunch and hot cocoa in matching cups at the lodge.  Until they retired from their careers last year, they set a daily ski goal of 20-20-20.  This skier’s code means:  20 runs, 20,000 vertical feet and 20 miles.  That was their shared goals each ski day!  

The McDonalds don’t mess around. They get to it – together as a couple. Their shared goal this season is to ski 3 Million vertical feet – 25,000 per day – as tracked on a ski app. (That’s a big goal by the way.)

Learn new skills to share together

While not quite as lofty, my husband Jay and I have shared goals, too.  Of course, while some of our goals are financial (as you’d expect with me being a financial planner), we have fun goals, too.  If we didn’t, our entertainment would be endless Netflix shows and letting the dog in and out. That would be it. 

Food is important in our lives and Jay is a great cook so we decided to expand our culinary skills. For 2021, we set a goal to cook something fancy each week either a new recipe or a new take on an old favorite.  Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking is on our counter ready to go.  We’re watching Wolfgang Puck’s masterclass and already made his pepper steak with wine and raisin glaze.  

What goals can you set with your partner that would be enjoyable and enhance your relationship?

Set #RelationshipGoals with girlfriends

Planning activities with girlfriends and setting goals together keeps friendships strong.  When my friend Sheri and I got new positions at the same time, we started meeting once a week to set weekly goals to thrive in our jobs.  While we were in different industries, Sheri in technology and me in finance, our weekly checkins, feedback and support helped us both in our careers. 

I am fortunate to live near a gondola (seven minute drive) which takes skiers to the back side of Deer Valley Resort. This season a few of my friends meet me at the top of the Gondola at 3 pm on Friday and we jokingly call it “Last Chair Club.”  Most skiers want to go in the morning “First Chair” since the snow is pristine, but I am working then!  

Having this casual and fun meet up (weather and work permitting,) gives me something to look forward to.  I work later on weeknights and focus during the day so I can take a “late lunch” and pop over to ski for an hour on a Friday afternoon.  To me, this is what life is all about – living the dream.

  

We have to make “girlfriend time” happen

Planning future trips and events with friends gets us excited about life.  Whether it’s a girl’s weekend, dinner out, spa day or simply a walk around the block, spending time with our friends makes life sweeter.  

What can you plan with your best friend or group of friends (maybe via Zoom for now) that would either move the needle for a goal or simply be fun?  

#RelationshipGoals are important to Midlife women

Midlife women, now is our time! This is the second half of life.  The dress rehearsal is over and now it’s show time. 

Limited contact with friends has taught us how much relationships mean to us.  For some, the constant contact with our spouses and partners has encouraged us to strengthen that relationship.  The idea of a shared goal – learning something new or challenging yourselves to experience new things – can energize relationships and life. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look back on my life and see an endless stream of TV shows.  While access to high quality content is so easy now, it hooks you in.  What can we do together that is active, not passive, exciting and fun ?  

What are your #RelationshipGoals this year?