Recently, my 16 year old son gave me what I consider to be a great compliment; he told me that I needed to talk more in conversations with other people. Of course a couple of weeks later someone else I know complained that I wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise. Some days, I’m sure she’s right. But the fact that my kid who … Continue reading Easy Listening
Finding and explaining what’s wrong with people is a great past-time. It’s fun, easy and makes you feel better about your life. It’s the junk food of human relationships! Believe it or not, figuring out what’s good about people is a great past-time as well. It’s challenging, satisfying and makes you feel better about the world. It’s the gourmet meal of human relationships. There are … Continue reading Looking for the Good – People Edition
I distinctly remember being a child and realizing that no one could read my thoughts. It was a very freeing thing for me to know that I couldn’t get in trouble and no human would ever be able to judge me for what I thought in the privacy of my own head. This was the beginning of my love affair with thinking. In your head, … Continue reading Your Brain is a Great Place to be Wrong
I always feel like I’m supposed to magically know what to do or say in any situation. Perhaps I missed a bunch of days in “how to be a human” school cuz I don’t. Then again, perhaps one of the reasons people usually prefer to live predictable lives surrounded by predictable people is because it minimizes those uncomfortable caught-off-guard moments of life. However, life has … Continue reading Fake It Till Ya Make It!
Research is discovering that we decide what to think and then look for reasons to believe that what we already think is true. In other words, we don’t make decisions or have opinions because of facts, reason or logic. We use facts, reasons and logic to support what we’ve already decided. So if it’s not reason that we are using to make our decisions and … Continue reading People who have feelings . . .
Much to my family of origin’s dismay, sometimes my life is weird. And interesting. For example, earlier this year I had a chance to learn massage therapy from a crazy, old, hippy, Christian massage and hypnotherapist. He was a bit of a charlatan and con-artist, but a pretty sincere one. If you asked him, he would tell you the color of your aura, how many … Continue reading Much-Ado-About-Feelings
People working in impoverished areas around the world know that giving something to just one or a few individuals in a community creates intense conflict and resentment with those who did not receive anything. It doesn’t matter if those who received worked to earn it or if what was given is of little value. There seems to be something very deep in us that causes … Continue reading You Live Like Royalty!
Here’s a fact of life that many people have a hard time accepting: unless you were being physically manipulated or had a gun put to your head, you have never been forced to do anything. Not homework. Not driving on the right side of the road. Not take a job you hate or anything else. You may have felt like you were being forced to … Continue reading Own Your Choices
You know your happy place? That mountain or beach or spa or whatever that makes you feel that all is right with the world. I can’t seem to find my happy place. Maybe its because I’ve never been some where exciting or maybe my imagination just isn’t that good. What I can do is make “Feel-Good Memories“. When I feel really good – I try … Continue reading Making Feel Good Memories
Criticism is hard to do well. So hard, in fact that most of us shouldn’t attempt it. When you do find yourself inclined to offer criticism – no matter how oblique, use the split second delay time that should exist between your thoughts and your words to do a quick hypocrisy check. Are you guilty of the same error? Or worse? (And sorry to be … Continue reading Hypocrisy Check
The Upside Down World 