What if…?
What if every day was lived as a holiday? What if each day we used our gifts to make the lives of others better? What if each day we did […]
The Kindness of Telling Your Truth
Have you ever found yourself telling people what you think they want to hear because you want to be nice? The excuse you tell yourself is that you don’t want […]
Role Awareness Improves Relationships
Relationships can be difficult at the best of times. An important thing to remember is your role in the relationship. Is the relationship a peer to peer relationship? Parent to child? […]
Do Your Intense Emotions Interfere with Effective Communication?
During a difficult conversation with someone have you ever become overwhelmed with emotions (flooding), or withdraw, and can no longer speak (stonewalling)? This is a familiar pattern for many couples […]
Connecting with Others: It’s Not About You!
This is written by Michael Oliver. It coincides with my professional and personal experiences. I have been on both the receiving and giving end of effective and non-effective communication connections […]
You can be Right or You can be Loved! (J. Gottman) Your Choice! (M.Heiden)
Personally, I think being “right” is overrated. I mean what is “right’ anyway? “Right” is a concept. “Right” is where your perception lies. Depending on where you stand that perspective […]
To Create a Great Relationship, Be a Great You!
This may be stating the obvious, but if you want a great relationship you have to be a great you! Not a good you, but a great you. If your […]
Surround Yourself with Those that Love You not Need You
Any time we make a change in our lives, others in our human herd will either encourage us, or discourage us in making progress in our personal growth and life […]
Intimacy in Relationships Through Deeper Human Connectedness
What does it mean to live in connection? It means I am connected to myself, I have intrapersonal intimacy, I know myself. I am aware of my thoughts, feelings, and […]
Flooding or Stonewalling: Interrupting the Quest for Intimacy
Stonewalling or flooding* is defined by withdrawing from the relationship as a way to avoid conflict. It is a way to self protect and prevents you from being able to […]