relationships

The Power Of 52

In January 2013, newlyweds Monika Platek and Todd Cooney launched The Power of 52, their one-year mission to spread goodwill and to have an epic first year of marriage. Every week, Monika—a digital journalist for CBC Sports—and Todd—a commercial real estate broker—update their blog with one of the 52 acts of kindness, 52 adventures, 52 heart-warming news stories and 52 different ways of saying thanks that they’ll accomplish by the end of the year. Here we learn more about their inspiring story.

How did you come up with the concept for The Power of 52?

Monika says… Todd and I are adventurous people with a zest for life. Every day we wake up wondering, “How can we make the most of today?” We are both goal-oriented and wanted to set a big goal for our first year of marriage—something we could work on together. The more we talked about the idea of The Power of 52, the more excited we got. We knew we were on to something.

What do you hope to accomplish with The Power of 52?

Todd says… I hope to look back on our year and have a sense of accomplishment for the wonderful acts of kindness we’ve done. I hope that we inspire others to pay it forward. I’ll also have some amazing memories from the adventures, both big and small, that I am going to experience with my best friend and wife.

Monika says… We want to look back and realize how much fun we’ve had and how much positivity we’ve shared. This isn’t about changing the world, but we know it will change our world. It’s a bonus if we can inspire other couples or individuals along the way.

What do you love most about doing this together?

Todd says… I love the quality time that I get to spend with Monika and doing something different and exciting together every week. We are incredibly driven and focused in our careers and this gives us an opportunity to work together to accomplish what I think is an amazing feat and worthwhile goal.

Monika says… Life gets so busy and having fun gets bumped down in the list of priorities. I love how this mission has challenged us to make time for each other, to give back to the community and to share the best stories we’ve heard that week.

What kinds of exciting plans are in store for the Power of 52?

Monika says… We would like to build something with Habitat for Humanity and help make a dream come true with one of the wish-granting charities. We want to inspire people to take part in simple acts of kindness, too.

What motivates you to keep going when you’re burnt out from your day jobs?

Tood says… My biggest motivator is my beautiful wife. She has this radiating energy that is contagious and makes it difficult not to make the most out of every day!

Monika says… Todd motivates me to keep going. We constantly challenge each other to get better and move forward. We get tired and allow for downtime, but The Power of 52 gets us fired up, even on the sleepiest of days.

Do you think you’ll continue with The Power of 52 beyond 2013?

Todd says… I see this lasting a lifetime!

Monika says… Definitely! It’s so true to how we want to live our lives and lead our marriage, so we have no doubt that we’ll keep this up for years. We’ll re-evaluate it when we celebrate our one hundredth wedding anniversary!

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