It is well-known that women have a lot of influence on our men. That can be a good thing, and it can also be a very bad thing! As wives, we can inspire and build up our husbands with our words, or wound them to the point of giving up or shutting us out completely. It is up to us which way to go.

My goal as an intentional wife is to build up my husband. I find that when I do this, great things happen for him and for me! In our ever busy world of parenting kids, working, and running a home many husbands get put at the end of our list instead of at the top where they belong.

In order to help you (and myself) intentionally and presently focus on our men, here is a short list of ways to build up our men that take less than 5 minutes to do. If we can't put our husbands on top of the list for 5 minutes each day, our priorities are way out of line and we need to really take a look at what is most important to us! Here are 5 ways to build up your man taking less than 5 minutes:

1. When your husband walks in the door, stop, and acknowledge that he is home

Smile at him, give him a big kiss and tell him how much you have missed him or that you are glad he is home! Make him feel happy to come home! Women tend to unload everything that has happened in the entire day within the first three minutes of our husbands walking in the door. Save that for later after he has wound down from the day and had a nice kiss from you! I bet he will be a better listener after a little relaxation!

2. Express your gratitude to him for a sacrifice he has made to better the family

Examples could be working long hours to benefit the family or not participating in a hobby in order to spend more time with the family. Our husbands work hard for our families. By giving them some appreciation you make them proud to do it for you! Verbal praise is many men's favorite way of getting respect from their wives!

3. When he is talking to you, stop what you are doing to fully participate in the conversation.

Women tend to be multi-taskers but that doesn't mean we always are listening while we are doing something else. Your husband deserves the best of you! Look him in the eye, lean in and let him know you are focused on him. Be present in your conversations!

4. Instead of focusing on the things you don't like about him, compliment him on those that you love.

Be genuine! Sometimes it can be difficult to overlook the downfalls but by building him up, he will be more likely to be on your team instead of against it!

5. Remind him that out of everyone else, he is still your favorite and you are proud to be his wife.

Men crave respect. By giving him some, he will want to be the man that you deserve and want.

What is your favorite way of building up your man? I challenge you to intentionally do something on this list (or a combination) for a week without saying anything to your man about why you are doing it and see what happens between the two of you!

Editor's note: This article was originally published on Women With Intention. It has been modified and republished here with permission.