Very often, when we’re driving in the car together, my daughter will suddenly ask, “Who are you talking to?” She does this because she can tell I’m having a conversation in my head because I’m making hand gestures with my right hand as it’s resting on the gear shift. I talk to myself a lot, and […]
Many of us walk through life thinking other people push our buttons. That guy who cuts us off on the freeway makes us mad. The woman who lets her dog poop in our front yard annoys us. The child who says he did his homework, but we find out later that he didn’t, disappoints us. We spend […]
Since today is Independence Day in the U.S., I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that hold us back in life and keep us from being truly free, especially things over which we have 100% control. If you’re tired of suffering under the tyranny of technology, being ruled by bad relationships, or being held captive by […]
“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”- Nathaniel Hawthorne Many people underestimate the power of words to create their reality and to impact the reality of others. Think about […]
We all know at least one. It’s that guy who only asks how you’re doing so he can jump in and tell you how he’s doing. It’s that gal who has to let you know all about the great things her son is doing, but never asks about even ONE of your kids. I call […]
Let’s face it, the world is a critical place. Television shows’ “humor” is based on personal attacks and put-downs. Most reality television is based on people being rejected on every level from love to singing talent. Even in our homes and workplaces, the ratio of negative feedback we receive from others (and give to others) to positive feedback is incredibly disproportionate. […]
When my college interpersonal communication class last met, we discussed the role of self-perception, in the communication process. Part of self-perception is self-esteem, which according to our class text is a person’s evaluation of his or her competence and personal worthiness. Although you’ve probably never thought about how your self-esteem affects your communication, it plays a role in every relationship […]
If you’ve ever seen one of those “When Animals Go Bad,” reality T.V. shows, you know they’re based on stories and sometimes graphic video footage of animals attacking people. Sometimes the result is humorous, with the human simply being embarrassed by the encounter. Other stories end in tragedy. Many who watch these shows walk away concluding that the animals […]
