Nancy Loraas, a Calgary-based executive, leadership, and communication coach, sent me a request to fill in a communications questionnaire. As I was filling it in I began to think, “My answers might be helpful to my readers; those interested in effective communication skills.” Consequently, I am sharing Nancy’s questions and my answers. Nancy’s Communication Skills […]
Gult, shame and resentment needlessly plagues many people.
Invite and negotiate the household workload.
A few years ago, I organized a national Canadian Mother’s Day writing contest called WOW MOM: Honoring Resilient Mothers. Contestants wrote a tribute to a mom. Five objective readers decided the top winners who were given prizes worth over one thousand dollars. The top eight entries are below. I hope these tributes inspire you to […]
Leaders know. Those who hire business coaches know. Big Brothers and Sisters know. They know our lives are influenced by other people and we can speed being and doing our best when we choose resilient and healthy role models. Yet, many of us give little thought to the idea of having role models. There is […]
Just as water is home to fish, our conversations are the context or home to our relationships. Sharing and listening are keys to making relationships work. Good communication that creates mutual understanding is even better. Effectively Speak Let us begin with speaking with honesty, kindness, authenticity, and sometimes assertiveness. You have control over the words you choose. […]
One of the most effective ways to create a healthy mindset is to weed whack your negative self-talk. You know, that head chatter that probably led to a nasty core belief or two. Tackling basic beliefs about ourselves is a daunting task but well worth the effort. Here is a piece of my story. One day while […]
She bent down and tied up her 9-year-old’s shoe strings. Remarkably, the little guy is a bright, and potentially capable, boy. Millennials (those born between the mid-1990s to early 2000s) are often times called The Me Me Me Generation. They tend to be over-protected from challenge, consequences, and tears. As the family researcher, Jean Illsley […]
While happiness is a desirable emotional state, compassion and empathy are developed through opportunities to feel disappointment, sorrow and pain. Parents weaken their children’s resilience when they protect them from experiencing the uncomfortable consequences of life’s hard bits. Consequently, I invited parents to resign from believing or attempting to make happy children. I am not […]
Every now and then our relationships could benefit from an examination. Of course, it begins with ourselves. We can check our generosity, honesty, kindness, compassion, appreciation, empathy, and love. As was written in the bible, “The greatest of these is love.” Gary Chapman, the family therapist and author of The Five Love Languages, provides a key […]
American reporter and humorist, Franklin P. Jones (1908-1980), wrote, “Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger.” Like Jones, you may dislike receiving criticism. Logically then, we should also be cautious about giving criticism. I was once given twenty-seven criticisms in the guise of feedback. […]
Have you ever wondered about your humor personality or telling a joke or two? WAIT! You might be asking, “Do I need to tell jokes to have a sense of humor?” Absolutely not! Read on! Most of us, at some time or another, crack a smile — if not a gut wrenching guffaw. Having a sense of […]