Six of our family members were on vacation. I rushed to prepare supper and threw half a dozen big potatoes into the microwave. The machine collapsed, pooped out and is dead. That old flash thought of, “You are stupid,” moved in; regardless of me knowing we all experience shame moments to some extent or another. […]
Knowing if you are a connector, maven or salesperson can stregnthen your resilience.
Neil Pasricha has followed up his best selling books, The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation with the resiliency-focused, You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life. I am not quite sure why his staff contacted me with an offer of a pre-launch copy of You Are […]
“The kids are all grown up and we’re empty nesters!” It sounds like a taste of freedom, but once adult children are grown, the relationship works like a retractable dog leash—pull and tug, more or less slack, pushing for space while longing for closeness. It’s like an in and out dance. Indeed, two of our […]
1. If you participate in negative gossip, ask yourself what is really going on for you. Do you feel jealous, resentful or superior? Does it give you a sense of belonging? What is the payoff for participating? Then find a healthy way to meet your need.
It is affirming to see some fathers pushing baby prams and taking parental leave. My Dad never saw the inside of a poopy diaper. By my generation, childcare was starting to go in a gender equal direction. Now I see my children parent with even more equity. Yet I also see family stress spinning in […]
Although, at times, those with high resilience feel nervous, they are typically immune to feeling high anxiety. For others, full blown panic attacks can not only be frightening and exhausting but debilitating.
It was a pleasant enough social gathering with a diverse mix of guests engaged in light, casual conversation. A young man began to describe how his life would be transformed, fixed, and truly perfect, if only…. He would be happy if only he landed his dream job with an annual salary of $130,000. He presently earns $95,000. He is probably caught […]
I am going to date myself here, but oh, well! For as long as I can remember I love movies about friendship from The Wizard of Oz to ET, to my all time favorite, Beaches with Bette Midler. Back in 2002, the hot movie of the summer was The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood based […]
Loneliness kills!” Dr. Robert Waldinger, Harvard University We were forty-years-old when my hubby was transferred from Ontario to Calgary, Alberta. I felt excited to explore the employment opportunities in this dynamic city. After four months of job seeking, I was still unemployed. I was often home alone and the phone seldom rang from near or […]
For several months, Yvonne E.L. Silver’s elegant book, Words, Women & Wisdom: The Modern Art of Confident Conversations sat on my bedside table. But once I picked it up and cracked it open, I was immersed! Overview Silver packs a mass of empowering content into her work, including flashbacks of moments with her abusive father, […]
Surely we want to tell stories that enhance our vitality, harmony and work satisfaction.