Why PlanWise?
I hate to plan- it’s that simple.
I’m an impulsive and spontaneous person who loves the excitement of doing things “in the moment”. Really though, I’m just lazy. I don’t want to put forth the effort to do difficult things. Especially if I don’t see value in it. Does that strike a chord with you? If it does, can I tell you my story?
My wife and I have been married for a long time, we’ve had five kids together, bought two homes, and paid down debt– we’ve had numerous adventures and shared a lifetime of love, joy, disappointment, struggle, and accomplishment. We’re probably not that much different than you. If I’ve learned anything though, I could have done these things much better and with much less struggle. Not to mention avoiding the stress and heartache that comes with miscommunication, unmet expectations, and other marriage-type issues.
One day my wife says, “Can we get away and plan for the next year?”
My reaction wasn’t very good, I can tell you that. I thought- this is just another opportunity to talk about things and never do them- or even worse, argue about things before we even start them. So, needless to say, I wasn’t very optimistic.
But, we did it anyway… and it was the best thing we have ever done (outside of getting married and having kids, of course).
It was an amazing time- probably the best, most encouraging discussion in a long time for us. We took a breath, looked back at our lives, looked forward, discussed our kids, envisioned a better version of ourselves, tackled big goals that before seemed impossible to even think about, and really celebrated our life together. And, the best part, we seemed to be on the same page about it all- we were actually working together and pulling in the same direction!
I immediately felt regret that I had not done it sooner.
I wanted to make our yearly planning session a highlight to start the year, and really celebrate the opportunities that a new year brings. My wife and I were communicating better, helping each other push through challenges, and seeing things get done. It wasn’t perfect, but we started seeing the kind of fruit in our marriage that we both longed for.
“We should start meeting weekly to keep track of our progress.” was her next suggestion.
The yearly planning was awesome, but we quickly realized a need to meet more regularly and track progress for our plans. But when to meet? We were so busy, it seemed impossible to find any time just to stop and chat. I’m sure we argued about that too at some point, but I quickly realized that my wife was on to something important. We would save time and frustration, by taking time to plan. We were both committed to whatever it took to continuing the change we were experiencing.
So, we began our first weekly meeting. We got coffee, prayed together, looked over our schedules for the next week, and talked though our goals for the next couple of months. For the first time in our lives, we were in sync- and it was so much easier than I thought it could be.
Fast forward several years… I began sharing our process with friends (or anyone who would listen). I thought “Surely, I can’t be the only one who struggles with miscommunication in marriage?” Well, obviously.
What I found were couples all around me who needed something, anything, that might help build success into their marriage.
Now, I’m sure you’re good at lots of things and so is your spouse. But, if you’re like me, you’re bad at plenty of things, too. What we were doing was really helping. I mean really helping. Surely it could help other people too… right? So I guess that was when PlanWise was “born”. Let me be honest with you– PlanWise isn’t really a business for us– it’s just something that helps us with all the things that we’re bad at. It gives us a plan to make life more exciting and achievable. All I want is to share it with you. I won’t promise that PlanWise will solve all your marriage issues, of course, but it can help with the simple things that often get in the way of the big things. It will help you start difficult conversations, it will give you a strategy to work together, and provide a few tips on how to make it more fun.
I want a life that matters and I know you do too. PlanWise is just a tool to that end. Give it a try and see for yourself.