Turning Up The Heat!
I have a few favorite passages in my book and the other day a reader made mention of one. In the scene, the protagonist Kate, who recently lost her job and is struggling in a relationship with her fiancé, shares how unsettled she feels. Emma, the wise maternal figure she visits for the weekend responds by explaining how silver is made. “It’s melted down in a vat.” She says “The silver maker then turns up the heat so the impurities [...]
Keep Calm and Say No
I met a woman yesterday who reminded me of something I often tell my clients who feel overwhelmed by the many roles they play in life. “No.” she said, “Is a complete sentence.” Those of us who find joy in alleviating the burdens of others, may not always recognize the burdens we are creating for ourselves. Before we know it we are too tired, sick, or overwhelmed to live up to our commitments. We have depleted our best-self and are moving dangerously close to the dark side of our [...]
3 Ways to Be Wiser
Did you know that being the smartest person in the room usually means you can process data faster than the group. Yet wisdom embraces not just intelligence but the virtue of reflection. Wisdom is the ability to make sound judgments based on knowledge and experience. And, it can be cultivated at any age by practicing the following steps: Reflect before you react. Let the information sink beyond your defenses. Suspend judgment and ask questions until you have enough information to [...]
Wait…You did what?!
“I can’t believe she isn’t who I thought she was!” How many times have we thought something similar? And how long did it take us to figure out that how we see people, versus who they are, can be different? What we see is usually what we want to see. Our perceptions can be distorted by our desires and needs. At times we can even assume someone else’s intentions to prove a point, or to protect ourselves from negative assumptions [...]
You should have seen the look on their feces
Yes, you read that correctly. “You should have seen the look on their feces.” That was a line I recently read in a book. Clearly it was a mistake the publisher didn’t catch and no doubt that poor author felt some level of embarrassment to see the word feces instead of faces in print. The moral of the story, we all make mistakes. We live busy lives and stuff gets past us. The best we can do in such situations is go easy on ourselves. We [...]
Truth vs. Honesty
Have you ever thought about the difference between truth and honesty? Truth sounds something like this: “Mom, there is nobody in my bedroom.” Honesty, however, adds more context to the situation. It sounds like this: “Mom, there is nobody in my bedroom, but the person you think I’m hiding is in my brother’s closet.” Many of us strive to be truthful. It helps to eliminate the icky feeling that arises when we are being deceitful. Yet sometimes, in an attempt to [...]