Empowering people to make strengthening choices
It’s so hard for me to believe that we’re beginning a new year. It seems like such a short time ago that we were transitioning into 2019 and yet here we are. What is even more incredible to me is that it’s not just a new year, we’re entering the 20th year of what still […]
In my last article, I introduced four styles of communication. In this article, I want to do a deeper dive into the meaning of collaboration, the alternative to the patterns of dominating, accommodating, and avoiding. The truth is that all these styles have their place in day-to-day life. However, collaboration becomes crucial as the topic […]
Do you know how to handle conflict when… You’re not able to sleep due to a neighbor’s late-night music or barking dog? Your boss wants you to work overtime this weekend when you’ve planned a big outing with your family? You and your partner have totally different opinions when it comes to a major life […]
I recently read a short essay by Emily Perl Kingsley about her experience of raising a child with Down syndrome. Although the essay is widely shared among parents of special needs children, the message is for all of us. It’s about having your expectations turned upside down. Welcome to Holland When you’re going to have […]
We are learning that willpower, alone, is a flawed strategy for sustaining change because it fights against our powerful and human feelings, impulses, and urges.
In this article, I want to talk about “The Empowerment Model.” For years, I’ve talked about it in the context of “key moments,” those situations and events in which our emotions are engaged and it’s easy to react or act out our negative feelings. But I like thinking of it as an empowerment model because by […]
Self-responsibility is the key to a happy and successful life. Consider that there are two types of problems– “out there” and “in here.” By “out there” I’m talking about events and circumstances. Your neighbor’s dog does its business in front of your house every morning. Your mother-in-law criticizes how you’re raising your kids. A co-worker […]
One step in the process of personal empowerment is embracing reality or accepting what is. This statement seems counter-intuitive. It seems like if you’re going to make things happen and live your dreams then you can’t be content or accept the way things are, but work or fight to make them different. Paradoxically, however, it […]
