Finding Purpose Together
Having a sense of purpose together can be a powerful way to grow your relationship. Working together can provide you with a sense of accomplishment. It can also remind you that the two of you are a team and that when you work together, you can get things done.
For many couples, the goal is to make one another happy and to feel happy themselves. There’s nothing wrong with setting your sights on this. However, couples who report that they also have other goals that they work on together often report that it brings their relationship to new levels.
Do you and your spouse have any common interests that you could work on together? This may be surrounding your spiritual beliefs. Working together on projects that surround your faith can be a powerful experience. This may mean working for your place of worship in a volunteer capacity. It may also mean doing some volunteer work on behalf of your faith.
Perhaps you want to do some volunteer work for your community. Maybe you spend Thanksgiving volunteering at a soup kitchen. Or maybe you participate in fundraising events for a local charity. These sorts of contributions can help you focus on the world outside of yourselves and can fuel your sense of teamwork.
Perhaps you are interested in global affairs and want to work on making the world a better place. Whether it be an interest in becoming more green, in helping impoverished people, or helping homeless animals, finding something to do together is important.
It may mean simply donating money and recognizing the need to set aside a portion of your money for this cause or it may mean donating your time and talents. Look at what resources you have available and think about what sorts of things are important to you. Talk to your spouse about what the two of you could do together. It may be a one time event or perhaps you find an ongoing worthy cause that you want to help. Either way, it is likely to benefit your marriage.
