"The Day" - Our Secret Weapon for 2023

The sweet aroma of coffee swirls out of the cup and around the table. Pastries of different sizes and flavors meet the earthy smell with the perfect balance of roasted goodness and flaky sweetness. This is the beginning of something we are excited for every year: a day set aside to think back, focus on the present, and dream about the future. Welcome to "The Day."

We aren't sure where the initial idea for "The Day" came from, but Josh thinks that he got the idea from a pastor who used to spend one day a month just resting and planning for the month ahead. However, if your calendar is anything like ours, cutting out a day every month seems a little...impossible at the moment. But we loved the idea so much that we decided to take this concept and make it our own by implementing it on a free weekend towards the beginning of each new year!

The Morning

As we begin the morning, we always look for a new coffee shop that we have never visited for our first stop. It gives us an opportunity to enter a new environment, and we have found that when nothing is normal, sometimes new ideas pop up that we aren't expecting. The morning coffee shop run has one purpose: to look back over the previous year. When we say the previous year, we mean everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. If we had set goals for the previous year, we pull them out and look through them, celebrating the victories and remembering the defeats. It's really important in these first moments to not use this as an opportunity to blame each other for things that went wrong. As husband and wife, we are a team, and we succeed and fail together.

The Afternoon

After spending some time either shopping or going to do something unique in the area, we sit down over lunch to talk about what could possibly be a terrifying subject for many: finances. This one topic is still recognized as the number one contributor to divorce in America, and yet, that is exactly why we set apart an entire meal to talk about it for the upcoming year. Last year's finances come out and we see which parts of our budget we did really well in and which ones we were....not so diligent. It may surprise you, but this could honestly be our favorite part of the day, as it reveals where our priorities tended to land. It's an incredibly tangible way of preparing yourself for success in the next year, even if it means having to cut back on some things.

The Evening

As the day slows down, we often find ourselves tired but excited for the last meal of the day. This is the moment where the other two meals come together as we discuss what our goals and dreams are for the upcoming year. Since we are normally pretty exhausted by this point, a lot of our mental "defenses" are down, and we find ourselves able to share freely about what we would really like to see change, grow, or be cut out of the upcoming year. It's a good refresher of the last twelve hours and the perfect capstone for the day as a whole.

We honestly could not recommend this type of "deep dive" enough. It has changed how we lived, how we grew, and how we look at ourselves and others. To close, we want to personally challenge you to take the leap and schedule a day for yourself. How could you use "The Day" to grow your marriage? Your business? Or even the specific season of life you are currently in? We hope this not only challenges but excites you for the new year and what could come out of it for you!

J + A

(All photos are property of Josh and Andrea Photography LLC.)