Catholic Husband

Love / Lead / Serve

Going the Extra Mile for Her

You can’t be a minimalist husband. Marriage demands something more. Marriage demands all that you have. Marriage demands your best because your wife deserves it. What does it mean to go the extra mile for your wife?

When it comes to productivity and physical space, I love minimalism. I love a clean, simple desk. I love lightweight tools that allow me to be agile. But I don’t believe that I should put as little effort as I can into my marriage. I don’t believe that my minimum effort is what Alison wants. So I need to stretch myself. I need to break the cycle of laziness and pour my whole self into her.

Experiences matter. When we get a new product, visit a new website, or see a new place, the things that we see, hear, feel, and do create an impression. Will I be getting another product from that company? Will I be back to this website? Will I recommend this destination to family and friends?

In your marriage, you’re the head of that company, the developer of the website, or the owner of the destination. That means that it’s up to you to create the best possible experience for your wife. You have dozens of chances to “wow” her every day. You have dozens of chances to make her life better in unexpected ways. In doing so, you’re giving your marriage what it needs to grow. You’re pouring your heart into this relationship and expressing your love.

Going the extra mile doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy. It’s the simple things that can make the biggest impact. It could be picking up the bedroom, warming up her towel, offering a back rub, or getting her a glass of water for her night stand. It might even be doing one of the suggested actions from the Catholic Husband Awesome campaign. (http://www.pinterest.com/catholichusband)

Small forward progress is the key to success. Forward progress will always drive your marriage to places you want to go.

"What’s the least possible effort I need to put in to have a great marriage?" Wrong question. Tend to your marriage and make her day special.