The good opinion of others
Many of us are motivated by the good opinion of others. We seek positive attention, from compliments and pats on the back to likes and followers on social media. Maybe it all started with gold stars in grade school. Even…
Many of us are motivated by the good opinion of others. We seek positive attention, from compliments and pats on the back to likes and followers on social media. Maybe it all started with gold stars in grade school. Even…
Most of us know what it means to be triggered—when something pokes at a tender spot inside us, triggering a not-so-pleasant reaction. Family gatherings are often a hot bed of them. So is watching the news, driving, dealing with people...in…
Picky Passionate Proud. This catchy headline spoke to me, along with the beautiful tabby cat featured in the magazine ad. Yes, felines are notoriously finicky -- high maintenance as some would say. Yet, I can't help but admire their refusal…
"I'm fine." Why is this so often our canned response when someone asks how we're feeling? Meanwhile, in her book Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown describes a rainbow of 87 distinct emotions that we could be feeling. Not surprisingly,…
There's a very popular jigsaw puzzle on Amazon called Pure White Hell. The 'picture' is just a blank, white slate. To some, it's an exciting challenge. To others it feels like a not-so-funny April Fool's joke. Either way, it's a…
A betrayal feels like a bomb being dropped on our lives. We’re completely unprepared for the explosion—and we feel helpless as the world we knew and trusted goes up in flames. We'd like to "keep calm and carry on," but…
We’ve all heard the song, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. Written as a hymn in 1957, it’s been sung by everyone from school children to Mahalia Jackson and Vince Gill. We all desire…
We usually think of four-letter words as the ones bleeped on network TV. This other four-letter word is not one of those. It's fawn -- which probably brings to mind a baby deer or the action of flattering or fawning…
Lately I’ve been feeling a bit untethered -- like Major Tom, the astronaut from David Bowie’s song, Space Oddity, who loses touch with Ground Control and floats off into an endless black void. I loved that song as a kid,…
Pretty much every one of us remembers an experience of being shamed. And we’ll do anything to avoid being engulfed in those burning flames of humiliation ever again. Unfortunately, people from so-called leaders to so-called lovers use shame as a…