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	<title> &#187; Reigniting Passion and Intimacy In Your Marriage (A 5-part Series)</title>
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		<title>Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage (Part 5 of 5)</title>
		<link>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-5-of-5</link>
		<comments>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-5-of-5#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:09:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Denver Hudson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[COMMITTED COUPLES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reigniting Passion and Intimacy In Your Marriage (A 5-part Series)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intimacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passionate marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship coaching]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/?p=229</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After you and your partner have reignited the passion and intimacy in your marriage, what's next? Keeping it alive! It's not enough to just reignite it. We need to talk now about how to sustain it once you have reignited it, once you have transformed out of the mood of resignation and into the possibilities that emerge from living in a mood of ambition. Without addressing the issue of sustainability, you'll be right back where you started. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_121" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-121" title="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" src="http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/iStock_000008993554XSmall-150x150.jpg" alt="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage</p></div>
<p>Welcome to Part 5 of the 5-part series entitled <strong>&#8220;Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage: From Resignation to Possibility&#8221;</strong> by Relationship Fitness Coach, Denver J. Hudson.</p>
<p><strong>Welcome back to our final post in this series! </strong>I&#8217;m grateful to have you on this journey with me, as we stand together as a commitment to reigniting the passion and intimacy in YOUR marriage!</p>
<p><strong>Last time, I invited you and your partner to spend some time together declaring that who you are for each other is a Passionate Lover, Intimate Best Friend, Conscious Committed Partner, and Active Co-Creator.</strong> And I invited you into a conversation around what it would actually look like in your daily life to be each of those for the other. How did it go? Did you notice, as you engaged in the conversation that you were experiencing a reigniting of your passion and intimacy for one another? Could you feel the emergence of a mood of ambition &#8211; of a realistic hope for a brighter future of exciting possibilities together as a result of this exercise? It&#8217;s a powerful exercise to do on a regular basis with increasing benefits over time. Don&#8217;t fall into the trap of doing it ONCE and thinking you&#8217;re done. Real passion and intimacy is CREATED, and it requires that each of you be intentional in how you show up for each other every day!</p>
<p><strong>You may have noticed <em>hope</em> returning to your relationship as you have moved through this series. </strong><em>Hope</em> is an integral emotional component of Ambition. Hope experienced in a mood of ambition is quite different than hope experienced in a mood of resignation. In the mood of ambition, hope positions us to look at our marriage and it&#8217;s future in an optimistic, proactive way. Now, instead of living into a <em>predictable future</em> of &#8220;more of the same,&#8221; your intentional choices are creating an <em>invented future</em>, a future you are intentionally envisioning and creating together through your conversations and focused action.  In resignation, you sit back and just passively hope things will get better &#8211; as if something, someone or even God  were going to come along and &#8220;fix&#8221; your marriage for you. (Not going to happen.) As I mentioned earlier in the series, that is leaving your marriage and future to chance &#8211; something that I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re no longer willing to do!</p>
<p><strong>After you and your partner have reignited the passion and intimacy in your marriage, what&#8217;s next?</strong> <em>Keeping it alive!</em> It&#8217;s not enough to just reignite it. We need to talk now about how to sustain it once you have reignited it, once you have transformed out of the mood of resignation and into the possibilities that emerge from living in a mood of ambition. Without addressing the issue of <em>sustainability</em>, you&#8217;ll be right back where you started. (By the way, this is where most people get sloppy and lazy! Beware!) It would be like lighting a candle in a windy room: it won&#8217;t stay lit unless you stop the breeze from blowing it out.</p>
<p><strong>So first, be a commitment to the practices I introduced to you earlier in the series</strong> (e.g. Stating who you are for each other, what that looks like in everyday life, and committing to showing up that way&#8230; working together to intentionally reinvent parts of your day&#8230;) Use these practices as a starting point, and then invent your own! Be intentional and put time on the calendar for you and your partner to have conversations together about specific actions to take and how you will hold each other accountable to your shared vision.</p>
<p><strong>Another key to sustaining your intimacy and passion is to take a realistic look at the various areas of your life and evaluate their health and impact on your marriage.</strong> For example, what is the health of your financial world? And how is that impacting your passion and intimacy? If you and your partner are constantly stressed and arguing about finances, passion and intimacy will not remain alive. Or how about your relationship with your in-laws and extended family? If that is an area of contention in your relationship, it can be draining your marriage of passion and intimacy. For example, it&#8217;s difficult to be passionate and intimate with your partner if s/he despises your mother whom you love dearly.</p>
<p><strong>Here are some key areas to explore together.</strong> Each of these areas is contributing to a sense of resignation in your life or a sense of ambition and possibility. Our goal here is to assess the current health of each of these areas, and &#8211; where necessary &#8211; take intentional action to CREATE a new level of health in those particular areas.</p>
<p><strong>Work, Career, or Vocation</strong><br />
How is your work life impacting your passion and intimacy and the health of your marriage? Does your work contribute to a mood of resignation or a mood of ambition? Are you and your partner in alignment around your work and your future career path? How can you make the relationship you have with your work healthier?</p>
<p><strong>Family, In-Laws, Extended Family</strong><br />
How are the relationships you have with family members impacting your passion and intimacy for each other? Are your family members living in a mood of resignation or a mood of ambition and how is that impacting YOUR mood and the mood of your marriage? How can you relate to your family, in-laws, and extended family in healthier ways?</p>
<p><strong>Friends and Social Groups</strong><br />
How are your relationships with your friends and social groups impacting the health of your marriage? Are your friends and social groups living more in a mood of resignation or a mood of ambition? What friendships do you need to let go of? Who could you be friends with that would enhance your marriage and personal life? How could you improve the health of your current friendships?</p>
<p><strong>Finances, Money, Wealth</strong><br />
How is your financial situation impacting the passion and intimacy of your marriage? Are you and your partner making financial decisions together or separately; how is this impacting the marriage? Is your financial life characterized more by a mood of resignation (&#8220;this is the way it will always be&#8230;or worse&#8221;) or a mood of ambition (&#8220;we can create new possibilities in our financial life!&#8221;)? What specific actions can you take TODAY that will make your financial life healthier?</p>
<p><strong>Religion, Spirituality</strong><br />
How is your spiritual life impacting your passion and intimacy for each other? How is/would standing together as a commitment to a higher purpose enhance the intimacy in your marriage? What conversations do you need to have with your partner about the importance of your spiritual walk as an individual and as a married couple? What specific actions could you take today to enrich the health of your spiritual life?</p>
<p><strong>Fun, Recreation, Hobbies</strong><br />
How does having fun together affect your passion and intimacy for each other? How does your level of passion and intimacy affect your ability to have fun together? How often do you laugh and have fun together? How supportive are you toward your partner having hobbies and recreational activities that don&#8217;t involve you? What specific things can you do together to bring more laughter, play, and fun into your lives?</p>
<p><strong>As you quickly discover, each of these areas impact and are impacted by the state of your &#8220;Relationship Fitness.&#8221; </strong>I invite you to look at each of these areas together and make a commitment to intentionally create health and well-being in each area as a way to foster a more passionate and intimate marriage!</p>
<p><strong>Again, I would like to thank you for joining me on the journey through this 5-part series.</strong> If you and your spouse would like to explore working with me as your Relationship Fitness Coach, I would be honored to speak with you and to explore the possibilities! The first call is FREE and there is no obligation to go further. I stand as a commitment to the health and well-being of individuals and committed couples who are ready to transform their health, life, and relationship from woe to WOW!</p>
<p>- Denver</p>
<p><strong>How can I best support you and your partner in creating a &#8220;Marriage of WOW!&#8221;?</strong> If you would like to explore Couples Coaching around this topic, please contact me at (812) 236-5780 or by e-mail at <a href="mailto:denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com">denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com</a>.</p>
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		<title>Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage (Part 4 of 5)</title>
		<link>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-4-of-5</link>
		<comments>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-4-of-5#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:31:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Denver Hudson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[COMMITTED COUPLES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reigniting Passion and Intimacy In Your Marriage (A 5-part Series)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intimacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passionate marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship coaching]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/?p=185</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Declaring who you ARE for each other is one of the most dynamic and powerful actions you can take as a couple. When you commit to BEING a certain way together, you stand in the power of your beingness in your marriage.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_121" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-121" title="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" src="http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/iStock_000008993554XSmall-150x150.jpg" alt="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage</p></div>
<p>Welcome to Part 4 of the 5-part series entitled <strong>&#8220;Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage: From Resignation to Possibility&#8221;</strong> by Relationship Fitness Coach, Denver J. Hudson</p>
<p><strong>Welcome back!</strong> Last time, I invited you and your partner to intentionally re-create a portion of your day together. Yes, to stand in this moment and declare yourselves as the <em>intentional</em> and <em>active</em> co-creators of your marriage and future together, beginning with a small portion of your day!</p>
<p><strong>Declaring who you ARE for each other is one of the most dynamic and powerful actions you can take as a couple.</strong> When you commit to BEING a certain way together, you stand in the power of your beingness in your marriage. You are saying to each other, &#8220;This is who I am for you NO MATTER WHAT.&#8221; &#8220;This is who I am for you, even when the circumstances suck!&#8221; &#8220;This is who I am for you because I love you and want to create a fulfilling future with you!&#8221; &#8220;This is who I am for you because this is who I can CHOOSE to be for you!&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Here are four very powerful declarations you can make to each other that will cause a transformation in your relationship:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>&#8220;Who I am for you is your Passionate Lover.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Who I am for you is your Intimate Best Friend. &#8220;</li>
<li>&#8220;Who I am for you is your Conscious, Committed Partner.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Who I am for you is an Active, Co-Creator.&#8221;</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>The power of these declarations occur in your life when you wake up each morning as an active expression of each of them!</strong> These are not declarations you make to each other one time and that&#8217;s it. You make these to each other, each day, in your heart and mind and expressed through your body. And you discuss together what it will actually look like &#8211; in specific behaviors &#8211; when you show up for each other in this way. In other words, what does it mean to each of you to be &#8220;a Passionate Lover&#8221;? What will that look like in your relationship? What does it mean to each of you to be &#8220;an Intimate Best Friend&#8221;? What will that look like in your relationship? And so on&#8230; How can you intentionally design your day in such a way that you can actually BE an expression of each of these four declarations for each other?</p>
<p><strong>The mood of resignation does not stand a chance of forming in your relationship when you remain conscious and committed</strong> to being a living expression of each of the above four declarations! By being a Passionate Lover, Intimate Best Friend, Conscious Committed Partner and Active Co-Creator for each other, you ignite the space of your relationship with the energy and vibrancy of love and passion for each other. You generate together a mood of ambition in which you both stand, looking into the future as a commitment to move forward together. You commit to carving out the time to have conversations in which you can discuss and plan what you want to create together.</p>
<p><strong>It doesn&#8217;t matter as much what you have been for each other, it matters more who you will BE for each other from this point forward.</strong> To transform the <em>Woe of Resignation</em> into the <em>WOW! of Ambition,</em> you have to be willing to let the past rest. Yes, declare the past as complete, <em>finished</em>. Celebrate it, honor it, and be thankful for it, but let it rest. Be willing to let go of the resentments, the blaming, the finger pointing, the record keeping, and stand together in this moment &#8211; right now &#8211; as a commitment to being the primary creative force in your lives together. From this day forward, focus your energy, your conversations, and your time on inventing the future that excites and will fulfill each of you!</p>
<p><strong>Before we conclude this series with Part 5, I invite you and your partner to spend some time together making the four declarations mentioned earlier in this article</strong> (&#8220;Who I am for you is&#8230;&#8221;) Slow down, relax together, look each other in the eyes and speak these to each other. Then, have a conversation about what it means to be these for each other. Discuss the specific actions each of you will take to express these ways of being for each other. In other words, how will you live your day-to-day life being these for each other? <em>As you share this experience together, notice what happens to your mood.</em> Notice what happens to your passion and intimacy for each other; are they being reignited? Share with each other what this experience has meant for each of you.</p>
<p><strong>How can I best support you and your partner in creating a Marriage of WOW!? </strong>If you would like some couples coaching around this topic, please contact me at (812) 236-5780 or by e-mail at <a href="mailto:denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com">denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com</a>. You don&#8217;t have to do this alone.</p>
<p><a href="http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/the-wow-movement"><strong>Join The WOW! Movement!</strong></a> today and learn how to transform your relationships, health, and life from Woe to WOW! Aren&#8217;t YOU ready for more WOW! in your life?</p>
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		<title>Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage (Part 3 of 5)</title>
		<link>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-3-of-5</link>
		<comments>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-3-of-5#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:12:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Denver Hudson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[COMMITTED COUPLES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reigniting Passion and Intimacy In Your Marriage (A 5-part Series)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intimacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship coaching]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/?p=151</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How do we transform the mood of resignation into a mood of ambition, where new possibilities can be seen and realized, where the passion and intimacy you once shared so joyfully are reignited and stronger than ever, and where a bright and fulfilling future for your marriage can be created?]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_121" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-121" title="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" src="http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/iStock_000008993554XSmall-150x150.jpg" alt="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage</p></div>
<p>Welcome to Part 3 of the 5-part series entitled <strong>&#8220;Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage: From Resignation to Possibility&#8221;</strong> by Relationship Fitness Coach, Denver J. Hudson</p>
<p><strong>Welcome Back!</strong> Last time, we took a look at some specific ways to identify if you and your spouse are living in a mood of resignation. I trust you had the opportunity to review the list together and begin to notice how these feelings, thoughts, and behaviors show up in your marriage. How did it go?  Did you notice the mood of resignation beginning to shift just by intentionally setting out to observe the indicators? Did you experience a shift in your mood, and perhaps the reawakening of some passion and intimacy for each other when you shared your experiences together?</p>
<p><strong>Passion and Intimacy can not exist in the density of a mood of resignation.</strong> And in the mood of resignation, the future that you and your partner are living into is predictably unpleasant, as I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve noticed. Eventually, if the mood of resignation continues to be the &#8220;atmosphere&#8221; of your relationship, it will die. NOT what we want to happen!</p>
<p><strong>So, how do we transform the mood of resignation into a mood of ambition,</strong> where new possibilities can be seen and realized, where the passion and intimacy you once shared so joyfully are reignited and stronger than ever, and where a bright and fulfilling future for your marriage can be created?</p>
<p><strong>First, let go of the belief that things can&#8217;t change.</strong> This may take a little faith at this point, as you may be thinking that you&#8217;ve &#8220;tried everything, and nothing seems to have worked.&#8221; But for now, just set that belief aside. You know you can always come back to it later if you like. But for now, let it rest. Declare the past complete. What was is behind us. What is yet to be is up to us!</p>
<p><strong>Second, step fully into the realization that you and your partner can <em>intentionally</em> CREATE how you relate to each other and the future that you will share together.</strong> If you recall, when in the mood of resignation, you often feel powerless and like a victim. You&#8217;re frustrated with how things are, believing they will never change &#8211; or only get worse. NOW, in this moment, each of you can CHOOSE to be <em>intentional co-creators</em> of a new marriage.</p>
<p>As a stand for each other and your future together, look at each other and declare, <em>&#8220;Who I am for you is an active co-creator of our marriage and life together.&#8221;</em> It&#8217;s important to say it to each other <em>out loud</em>. Yes, it will be uncomfortable &#8211; and, oh yes &#8211; it will sound weird, but that&#8217;s OK. It feels and sounds weird because&#8230;who does this kind of thing? Think about, most people are NOT intentionally creating their marriage (or their life for that matter). Most people do not speak powerfully about their marriage and their future (which is one of the reasons they end up in resignation).  So, yes, this will feel awkward, but allow that to be OK. <em>Be willing to allow yourself to get uncomfortable for the sake of your future together.</em></p>
<p><strong>Third, as Active Co-Creators of your marriage and future, challenge yourselves to intentionally reinvent &#8211; together &#8211; a small portion of your day.</strong> For example, you may choose to reinvent your morning routine together. And before you do that, I encourage you to become aware of and discuss your normal morning routine up to this point. How do you typically start the day together? How is that impacting your relationship? Are you each willing to let go of the comfort of this routine for a new possibility that will strengthen your marriage?</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s say that up to this point, your morning goes something like this: Husband rolls out of bed at 5:30 a.m.; wife stays in bed for another hour. Husband showers, eats breakfast (alone), and checks e-mail. Wife wakes up, stumbles to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and then heads up stairs to take a shower and wake the kids. Meanwhile, husband puts on jacket, and yells up the stairs, &#8220;I&#8217;m off to work.&#8221;&#8230;  Ho, hum. A familiar routine perhaps. Notice, very little connection or meaningful communication happening here. And this is the routine five days a week! Impact on the marriage?</p>
<p><strong>OK, as Active Co-Creators who are intentionally creating, you are now being challenged to reinvent your morning routine!</strong> Yes, I understand that you are COMFORTABLE with your typical morning routine. And sure, you get some benefit from it, or you wouldn&#8217;t be doing it. But if you could design your morning together in such a way that your relationship would be nourished and strengthened, and that would create the conditions for your passion and intimacy to be reignited, what would that look like? What would be happening? How would you be relating to each other?</p>
<p>(Yes, once again, this is weird. I mean, who does this? But again, you&#8217;re not reading this because you want to have a &#8220;normal&#8221; marriage. You&#8217;re here, reading this because you want to create a &#8220;Marriage of WOW!&#8221; where you and your partner are enjoying passion and intimacy. Right?)</p>
<p><strong>Just a couple of things I recommend you include in your new morning routine: (1) lots of eye contact, and (2) meaningful touch.</strong> And I&#8217;m going to challenge both of you to not settle for some boring, new routine. Instead, create this new routine in such a way that each of you say &#8220;WOW!&#8221; when done. Make it so awesome, that each of you are looking forward to getting up each morning to spend your intentionally designed routine together! I&#8217;m challenging you&#8230;don&#8217;t wimp out on me!</p>
<p>Sound good? Great! And by the way, if you don&#8217;t want to reinvent your morning, work on your evening. What kind of evening routine would you like to create together? (Of course, you could work on both, but I recommend starting small in the beginning.)</p>
<p><strong>And as you and your partner take these actions, begin to observe what is happening to the mood of resignation.</strong> Is it shifting into a mood of ambition, where you can see and feel new possibilities for your relationship? What do you notice happening to your passion and intimacy for each other &#8211; are they waking back up?</p>
<p>Have fun with this! And I look forward to continuing our journey together in Part 4!</p>
<p><strong>How can I best support you and your partner in creating a Marriage of WOW!?</strong> If you would like some couples coaching around this topic, please contact me at (812) 236-5780 or by e-mail at <a href="mailto:denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com">denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com</a>. <em>First session is FREE!</em></p>
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		<title>Reigniting Passion and Intimacy In Your Marriage (Part 2 of 5)</title>
		<link>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-2-of-5</link>
		<comments>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-2-of-5#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Denver Hudson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[COMMITTED COUPLES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reigniting Passion and Intimacy In Your Marriage (A 5-part Series)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intimacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passionate marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship coaching]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/?p=110</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In Part 2 we're going to take a look at some ways to identify when we are living in the mood of resignation. Why learn this?  So you know what to look for! When you catch yourself saying, thinking, feeling, or acting in these ways, then you have caught yourself living in such a way that is creating and sustaining resignation. Once you are AWARE of this, you can CHOOSE differently]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_121" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-121" title="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" src="http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/iStock_000008993554XSmall-150x150.jpg" alt="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage</p></div>
<p>Welcome to Part 2 of the 5-part series entitled <strong>&#8220;Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage: From Resignation to Possibility.&#8221;</strong></p>
<p><strong>Welcome back!</strong> Last time, we explored together the harmful effects that a mood of resignation can have on your marriage. It can literally wipe out the  passion and heart-felt intimacy that is critical to a satisfying long-term relationship. You can get &#8220;stuck&#8221; in the comfort of resignation, leaving your marriage to chance and just hoping that someday it will get better. Don&#8217;t let that happen to you and your marriage!</p>
<p><strong>I know what I&#8217;m talking about in this series, because it happened to ME. </strong>Yes, I had a direct experience around what I&#8217;m sharing with you. I didn&#8217;t realize how much resignation had set into my marriage, until I came home one day to find a letter on the counter &#8211; my wife had left. So, listen up! I&#8217;m here as a voice of experience. As a commitment to supporting YOU and your partner in waking up before it&#8217;s too late. Yes, waking up to what is possible for you beyond resignation; what is possible for both of you when you shift the mood of your relationship and reignite the passion and intimacy between you. In my current relationship, we are INTENTIONALLY creating a mood of ambition for our relationship and watching for any signs of resignation. And I must say &#8211; the results are simply amazing!</p>
<p><strong>When you learn how to transform the mood of resignation into the mood of ambition, you open your marriage up to a whole new world of possibilities</strong> &#8211; and that is the direction we are taking in this series.Yes, you can transform your marriage from Woe to WOW! &#8211; and I&#8217;m going to show you some ways to do it. However, I can&#8217;t do it for you! And <em>just</em> reading these blog posts won&#8217;t do it either! So, as we continue this series, take a stand for your marriage. Take a stand for the commitment that each of you share to really turn things around, to create a new world together. Don&#8217;t fall prey to the TRAP of &#8220;wanting&#8221; something to happen, step forward and begin to  take action NOW! I&#8217;ve done it in my own personal life and in my current relationship, so I can GUARANTEE you that it&#8217;s possible.</p>
<p>OK, enough of the pep talk, let&#8217;s move on!</p>
<p><strong>How was your conversation with your partner after reading the last post?</strong> Were you able to discuss the questions at the end together? If not, I invite you back to Part 1, to explore that together.</p>
<p><strong>In Part 2 &#8211; as promised &#8211; we&#8217;re going to take a look at some ways to identify when we are living in the mood of resignation. Why learn this?</strong> So you know what to look for! When you catch yourself saying, thinking, feeling, or acting in these ways, then you have caught yourself living in such a way that is creating and sustaining resignation. Once you are AWARE of this, you can CHOOSE differently (more on this in upcoming posts of this series). Very powerful!</p>
<p><strong>Indications that you and/or your partner are living in the mood of resignation:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Using, &#8220;Yes, but&#8230;&#8221; language. &#8220;Yes, that&#8217;s a great idea, BUT it won&#8217;t work&#8230;&#8221;</li>
<li>Believing that nothing you or anyone else do will make a difference, so why try? Why waste the time, energy, or money? It&#8217;s just the way it is&#8230;</li>
<li>Pessimism &#8211; expecting the worst, so less likely to see potential improvement</li>
<li>A strong sense of overwhelm and helplessness. There is so much to take care of, and you just don&#8217;t know where to start&#8230;so you do nothing or very little.</li>
<li>Showing up as a victim and using victim language (&#8220;poor me&#8221; or &#8220;poor us&#8221;).</li>
<li>Feeling depressed and in despair</li>
<li>Getting sick often</li>
<li>Closing down possibilities (&#8220;That will never work&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t do that&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;That will be too hard&#8230;&#8221;)</li>
<li>Intellectually criticizing: creating very sophisticated stories, excuses, and explanations for not exploring new possibilities</li>
<li>Cynicism &#8211; doubting that anything new is possible</li>
<li>Arrogance: &#8220;I already know that.&#8221; Not being open to learning something new. Already have it figured out, and you&#8217;re right.</li>
<li>Wanting the rest of the world &#8211; or your partner &#8211; to change, to do the right thing, get their act together&#8230; an unwillingness to accept responsibility for taking action to improve the situation</li>
<li>Engaging in distractions that keep you from directly addressing the resignation in your marriage (staying at work too late, watching TV, over-involvement with the kids, volunteering&#8230;)</li>
<li>Posture: rounded, concave chest, forward tilting of the neck, downward gaze of the eyes</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Again, the value of knowing what to look for is to catch yourself &#8211; and your partner &#8211; in the mood of resignation.</strong> Many of the things above can become habitual ways of being, and by working together to catch yourself falling back into these habits will be critical as we begin &#8211; later in the series &#8211; to explore moving your life into a mood of ambition. If you can&#8217;t see it, you can&#8217;t change it.</p>
<p><strong> </strong> <em>If you really want to transform your marriage, and reignite your passion and intimacy, then you have to support each other in stepping out of the habitual ways of being that lead to and sustain resignation, many of which are listed above.</em></p>
<p>So, let&#8217;s take a couple of days between this post and Part 3. That will give you enough time to explore the following actions together:</p>
<p><strong>1.</strong> <strong>Print out the above list of indicators and begin to notice how you are showing up in your relationship.</strong> For example, notice when you show up as pessimistic. Notice when you find yourself depressed. Notice if you catch yourself feeling, speaking, and acting like a victim. Catch yourself saying or thinking &#8220;I already know that&#8221; when your partner offers a new idea or action. Catch yourself creating stories, excuses, or logical arguments that shut down new possibilities for you and your partner. Notice if the day feels &#8220;heavy&#8221; and overwhelming to you.</p>
<p>This practice of noticing &#8211; of observing yourself and your partner &#8211; may seem unnecessary to you. But it is developing your ability to observe yourself and to catch yourself in habitual ways of being that create and sustain resignation. These habitual ways of showing up in your relationship are causing an erosion of the passion and intimacy you share with your partner. And later &#8211; when we start exploring what you can do to create a mood of ambition for you and your partner to live in, this ability to observe will be a critical piece of the work.</p>
<p><strong>2.  In a respectful and loving way, share with your partner what you are noticing about yourself.</strong> Intentionally create a little time everyday, perhaps right before you go to bed, to share with your spouse what you have noticed about yourself during that day. As you have this conversation, notice if the sharing actually begins to lessen the feeling of resignation. Notice if this sharing with each other begins to shift your level of intimacy with each other. Be curious. Be respectful. And enjoy what you are experiencing! By taking these actions together, you may find that you are already breaking free of resignation!</p>
<p><strong>How can I best support you and your partner in creating a Marriage of WOW!?</strong> If you would like some couples coaching around this topic, please contact me at (812) 236-5780 or by e-mail at <a href="mailto:denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com">denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com</a>. You don&#8217;t have to do this alone.</p>
<p>Until next time&#8230;</p>
<p>Denver</p>
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		<title>Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage (Part 1 of 5)</title>
		<link>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-1-of-5</link>
		<comments>http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/reigniting-passion-and-intimacy-in-your-marriage-part-1-of-5#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:13:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Denver Hudson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[COMMITTED COUPLES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reigniting Passion and Intimacy In Your Marriage (A 5-part Series)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intimacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship coaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[resignation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/?p=99</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In this 5-part series, "Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage: From Resignation to Possibility," we'll look at what resignation is, how it impacts marriages, how to identify it, and most importantly, how to transform it into the Mood of Ambition, where you and your partner can SEE and ACT on new possibilities for your marriage, with one of those possibilities being the reigniting of your passion and intimacy for each other.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_121" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-121" title="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" src="http://relationshipfitnessonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/iStock_000008993554XSmall-150x150.jpg" alt="Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Reignite Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage</p></div>
<p>Welcome to Part 1 of the 5-part series entitled <strong>&#8220;Reigniting Passion and Intimacy in Your Marriage: From Resignation to Possibility.&#8221; </strong></p>
<p>In this series, we&#8217;re going to explore together one of the most subtle and dangerous causes of the erosion of passion and intimacy in a marriage, and that is <em>the mood of resignation</em>. Resignation is so dense and subtle that it can literally destroy the quality, vitality, and future of your marriage. And it can do so slowly, over years of time, without your conscious awareness of it happening.</p>
<p><strong>We&#8217;ll look at what resignation is, how it impacts marriages, how to identify it, and most importantly, how to transform it into the Mood of Ambition</strong>, where you and your partner can SEE and ACT on new possibilities for your marriage, with one of those possibilities being the reigniting of your passion and intimacy for each other.</p>
<p><strong>Are you in?</strong> Will you join me, engaging yourself in this 5-part series? Is the future of your marriage and your children&#8217;s well-being worth some time reading, understanding, and taking action on what you learn here? Oddly enough, one of the first things you may need to set aside for the moment is your own sense of resignation&#8230; &#8220;Denver, this sounds great, but my spouse and I have already tried so many things and nothing seems to work long term. How will this be any different?&#8221; Maybe it won&#8217;t&#8230;and yet, what if it will be different? What if right now, this moment, is the beginning of something new for you, your spouse, and your marriage?</p>
<p><strong>My intention is to give you something new, something different. Something that will make a difference for you and your marriage.</strong> No pie-in-the-sky crap here &#8211; just an honest look at this topic and what it will really take to reignite passion and intimacy in your marriage. <strong>You&#8217;ve got to stay with me all the way through</strong>, because we&#8217;re going to start out discussing the harmful effects of resignation in a marriage &#8211; and that may be unpleasant. And yet, as we move along in the series, we&#8217;re going to begin to see new light, new possibilities, and most of all A WAY OUT of resignation! Yes, it will take some work, but I can promise you that you and your partner CAN turns things around. (Invite your partner to read these BLOG posts with you.) You CAN reignite the passion and intimacy in your marriage. You are worth it. Your spouse is worth it. And your children are worth it.</p>
<p>OK, I know you&#8217;re in, because you&#8217;re still reading, so let&#8217;s get started!</p>
<p><strong>Part 1: Understanding the Dangers of Resignation in a Marriage</strong></p>
<p><strong>At the heart of the mood of resignation is a sense of helplessness.</strong> Nothing you do to improve the quality of your marriage seems to work. If anything, you get temporary relief, or a small glimmer of hope. But no real significant change. And if you and your partner have been playing this game for months or even years, then a mood of resignation feels REAL. It can feel like there really is no hope for a brighter future. You can begin to doubt each other, resent each other, and lose respect for each other.</p>
<p><strong>Where does this take you? It leaves your marriage &#8211; and life &#8211; to chance.</strong> You find yourself hoping and praying that things will get better &#8220;someday&#8221; while watching your passion and intimacy for each other slowly fade over time.  Instead of a joyful celebration and creative living of your love for each other, your marriage becomes a commitment to surviving, making it through another day, or to simply keeping busy, distracting yourself and being as comfortable as possible.</p>
<p><strong>Many who find themselves living in a mood of resignation do not recognize their emotional reality.</strong> (See Part 2 for specific indicators that you are living in resignation.) Why? Because in resignation you can actually find yourself COMFORTABLE. It can become the norm, just &#8220;the way things are in our marriage.&#8221; Resignation predisposes you to do NOTHING and as a result, you can feel comfortable in your inaction. You believe that no matter what you do, it won&#8217;t make any meaningful difference, so why do anything at all?</p>
<p><strong>Another reason you may not realize you&#8217;re living in resignation regarding your marriage is because you have found an effective way to cope or distract yourself away from it.</strong> For example, you may feel<em> resigned</em> about the marriage, but <em>ambitious</em> about your career, or a volunteer activity, or the kids&#8217; lives, or church functions, or watching TV or reading&#8230; There are many ways to avoid facing the truth that you feel resigned and hopeless about the future of your marriage. And yet, you can&#8217;t distract yourself forever. Eventually, the density of the mood and its impact on the passion and intimacy of your marriage becomes too great, and either the marriage ends, or you stay together (because it&#8217;s the right or convenient thing to do) and accept your state of dissatisfaction.</p>
<p><strong>In <em>The WOW! Movement</em> language, I call what we have been talking about so far, &#8220;The World of Woe.&#8221; </strong>A world of struggle, frustration, dissatisfaction, and resignation. And yet, I remind you, we are not done yet! You can transform your relationship, as EVERY Woe is an invitation into WOW! You can reinvent your marriage and life into &#8220;The World of WOW!&#8221; And I&#8217;m going to show you &#8211; later in the series &#8211; how to transform <em>resignation</em> to <em>ambition</em> (a Woe to WOW! movement) opening up a new world of possibilities for you and your spouse! Stay tuned in and engaged!</p>
<p><strong>OK, let&#8217;s wrap up Part 1, with the following questions for you and your spouse to consider together </strong>(or on your own, if your partner is unwilling). These will take openness and courage to answer honestly:</p>
<p>1. What were you each thinking and feeling as you read about resignation and it&#8217;s impact on marriage? How much of this describes where you are right now individually and as couple?</p>
<p>2. In what ways have you each grown comfortable living in a mood resignation? Are you willing to let go of this comfortableness for a new possibility?</p>
<p>3. What actions and strategies do you each engage in to avoid confronting your own sense of resignation in your marriage? (For example, staying longer at work, watching TV, reading, hanging out with friends, playing Farmville on Facebook, taking kids to activities, making logical excuses, volunteering&#8230;)</p>
<p>4. Are you a commitment to remaining resigned, or are you a commitment to reigniting the passion and intimacy in your marriage? (State your commitment out loud to each other.) What is your commitment as a couple? (&#8220;We are committed to&#8230;&#8221; spoken out loud to each other.)</p>
<p>In Part 2, we&#8217;ll explore some of the words, beliefs, emotions, and body postures that create and maintain the mood of resignation. By learning these, you can catch what you&#8217;re saying, thinking, feeling, and doing that creates and sustains the mood of resignation &#8211; <em>and with this awareness begin stepping yourself out of it.</em></p>
<p><strong>How can I best support you and your partner in creating a Marriage of WOW!?</strong> If you would like some couples coaching around this topic, please contact me at (812) 236-5780  or by e-mail at denver@relationshipfitnessonline.com. You don&#8217;t have to do this alone.</p>
<p>-Denver</p>
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