What makes September 12th significant? It’s National Day of Encouragement, of course! It’s exactly what it sounds like: a day to uplift those around us and embrace the beauty of encouragement (even though we should really be doing that every day).
This day was declared in 2007 by a group of students attending a leadership event who were asked to brainstorm a solution to a major problem that people their age faced. The National Day of Encouragement was born, and has been celebrated ever since. September 12 was chosen as the official date because the tragic events of September 11, 2001 meant that the 11th of September was (and still is) a very somber day. It seemed appropriate that the day following would be one of hope and uplifting.
If you’re married or dating, there’s no one better to encourage than your partner. Let this day be a reminder to practice extra encouragement with the person you love most. Here are a few ways to celebrate National Day of Encouragement with your person! Try out all three of these today, and every day after that. Being a positive and encouraging person is addictive!
1. Tell them you’re proud of them – and why
This is probably the easiest thing you can do for your partner that will have a positive impact on them on National Day of Encouragement. All you have to do is communicate how proud you are of them! This shouldn’t be too difficult; just think of something they’re doing, like working hard at their job, starting that schooling they’ve wanted to do for so long, or being a great parent to your children.
It can be anything as long as you’re being genuine and speaking from the heart. Don’t just assume that your partner feels appreciated by you. Make sure they actually do by telling them that you’re proud of them and that you appreciate all they do for you. It can be easy to get caught up in the routines of everyday life, and this is a good way to ensure that you are outwardly appreciating your spouse.
Bonus: give compliments! Even more than you usually do. Chances are, if you put in the effort to give your partner extra compliments, it will make them happy (which will make you happy, too). And we are willing to bet that your partner will reciprocate the love and appreciation. Then everyone can be feeling happy and all loved up!
2. Speak their love language
By now, most people have probably heard about the 5 love languages. They were created by Dr. Gary Chapman, an author, speaker, and marriage counselor. We all speak one of the five languages, which are: acts of service, receiving gifts, physical touch, quality time, and words of affirmation. Knowing which love language you speak, and which one your spouse speaks, is a great way to make sure you are communicating your love in the right way.
If one partner feels the most loved when they receive a hug or kiss, their love language is physical touch. If the other partner feels most loved when they are told that they’re doing a great job or that they look amazing, their love language is words of affirmation. In order to fully express their love for each other, they each need to speak their partner’s language.
If your partner’s love language is physical touch, give them all the hugs, kisses, backrubs, and cuddles they want. If it’s words of affirmation, make sure to do everything from #1 to express your love and appreciation for them. For acts of service, you’ll want to look around for something you can do for them, like taking a household chore off of their plate. For quality time, you can plan a special date, or even just set aside some uninterrupted time for just the two of you. And lastly, if your partner’s love language is receiving gifts, you can do something as simple as picking up their favorite coffee or snack and bringing it to them.
When you know your partner’s love language, you hold the key to making them feel happy and loved. And what better a day than National Day of Encouragement to take advantage of this? If you don’t know your partner’s love language, you can each take the 5 Love Languages Quiz and find out. It’s pretty much the best day of the year to start learning how your partner likes to receive love.
3. Keep the encouragement going
Don’t reserve all the encouragement for just your partner. Did you know that kindness is contagious? And it’s something you can actually feel good about spreading to others. So, on National Day of Encouragement, after you’ve celebrated with your partner, keep it going! Spread the love and positivity to all of your family, friends, and loved ones.
Do you have a friend that you haven’t caught up with lately? Shoot them a nice text or phone call and have a nice conversation. Send a little something to your parents or siblings, letting them know you appreciate them. Reach out to those people in your life that need to be uplifted (even if they don’t seem like it). It may not seem like a big deal, but by doing this, you’ll affect many lives by doing something so simple. If everyone who you encourage pays it forward to others, and it just keeps going, you’ve done quite a big thing for the world.
The very best thing you can do for National Day of Encouragement is celebrate it on September 12, and then keep celebrating it every day after. Why should we devote just one day to encouraging our partners and loved ones? If you keep uplifting those around you every single day, soon you won’t want to stop!
Another great thing you can do for your relationship (especially if you are considering or preparing for marriage) is discussing important topics like prenuptial agreements. If your significant other isn’t sure about the benefits of having a prenup, you can encourage (see what we did there?) them by having an honest conversation about how a prenuptial agreement will impact your relationship. As always, our FAQ page can be a great resource for your discussion.
Sources:
Julia Rodgers is HelloPrenup’s CEO and Co-Founder. She is a Massachusetts family law attorney and true believer in the value of prenuptial agreements. HelloPrenup was created with the goal of automating the prenup process, making it more collaborative, time efficient and cost effective. Julia believes that a healthy marriage is one in which couples can openly communicate about finances and life goals. You can read more about us here Questions? Reach out to Julia directly at [email protected].
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