Tolerating Rat Bites We wouldn’t tolerate a rat nibbling on our toe. But we do tolerate those little negative voice that nibble away on our joy, happiness, peace of mind, and confidence. We need to realize the cost of that nibbling and “change the channel”. Much Love, Jonathan Help me out please ~ if […]
Trained in condemnation
October 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Trained in Condemnation The world had trained us to condemn (ourselves and others). Kids hear things like, “you are a bad boy or girl.” Schools emphasize what we got wrong. We have heard and said “bad” and “wrong” so many times. Consequently, we have learned to think in terms of good and bad and right […]
The opposite of maturity
October 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Opposite of Maturity If we use indulgence as the opposite of maturity, then maturity can be defined as our ability to make wise choices due to our ability to delay gratification. Immaturity has us make a lot of poor choices because we want instant gratification without any thought to the long-term consequences. This has […]
Somehow this has to be your fault
September 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Somehow This Has to be Your Fault When my brother was in college, he got hit by a car while riding his bike. Instead of inquiring about my brother’s well-being (as he was lying on the pavement), the lady who hit him said, “somehow this has to be your fault.” Behavior such as this comes […]
Blind spots
September 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Choosing between trash and beauty
September 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Choosing Between Trash and Beauty We can be standing in front of a beautiful nature scene and give our focus and attention to the piece of litter at our feet. We can be standing in front of the landfill and give our focus and attention to the wildflowers growing at our feet. We always get […]
We’ve all got our stories
September 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment
We’ve All Got Our Stories I’ve got a friend who is talented, kind, successful, loved, respected, appreciated, and blessed. And this friend also has a personality quirk that does not at all fit with the things mentioned in the previous sentence. I had wondered about this incongruity and then I learned his back story. Instantly, […]
No offense meant
September 20, 2018 by Leave a Comment
No Offense Meant I overheard a conversation today where the guy said, “no offense meant” and then he used a racially derogatory expression to a member of that race. Obviously, if we ever think “no offense meant”, we are about to say something that is going to be offensive. And, the best plan here is […]
Persistence, courage, resistance, and risk
September 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Persistence, Courage, Resistance and Risk Persistence is a key success factor in any endeavor. However, persistence can easily get derailed if we don’t understand the relationship between courage, resistance, and risk. If there isn’t any risk in our lives, then we are not living a life that is worth living. We are not anywhere near the […]
Effective communication
September 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Effective Communication Effective communication (effective selling, effective speaking, effective relationship building, effective persuasion, effective discussion, effective asking for what we want) starts with us getting our attention off of ourselves and onto the other person or onto the “we” that makes up the relationship. If our attention is just on ourselves and how that other […]
