When someone allows you to change lanes in a traffic jam, holds a door open for you when you’re juggling grocery bags or just merely notices you on the sidewalk, smiling and offering a nod or a wave costs you nothing and can turn out to be meaningful. Here’s how: A connection is made – even when you don’t know the person or never see him or her again. Rewarding the act of kindness even in such a small way, [...]
I ran into a friend last week that I had first met at a Church function. We exchanged pleasantries, caught up a bit on one another’s lives and then came to “let’s get together sometime.” I haven’t called since the encounter and neither has he. A few years back at my most recent high school reunion, I reconnected with many classmates whom I haven’t seen since our last reunion, and met up with others I hadn’t seen since high school [...]
Empathy is a bridge to appreciating someone else's pain or discomfort. Our ability to bring others along is important because one day the situation will be reversed; and a family member, buddy or maybe even a competitor will be the one to listen and care about us and what we're going through. Remaining silent just closes the door to making a connection. Offering empathy, on the other hand, through the actions of caring conversation and kindness can have quite a [...]
Many years ago before I started on my national speaking tours, I asked one of my mentors, a very seasoned presenter himself, if he might have any words of advice for me. He did. I expected to hear something about how to best engage the audience and capture their attention, but instead, he said: […]
Relationships are all about control when there’s a power imbalance, when there’s a dominating partner, a submissive partner or even both. […]
Here's a question I hear often when doing counseling and the issue turns to relationships: How do I continue to pursue a relationship with my significant other while at the same time retain my independence? My answer is always the same: You're asking the wrong question! Why? In relationships, we either trade up or we trade down. A better question to ask would be: What criteria should I establish for choosing my partner? Those that choose partners consistent with the [...]
